US20080181660A1 - Developing Device - Google Patents
Developing Device Download PDFInfo
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- US20080181660A1 US20080181660A1 US12/022,205 US2220508A US2008181660A1 US 20080181660 A1 US20080181660 A1 US 20080181660A1 US 2220508 A US2220508 A US 2220508A US 2008181660 A1 US2008181660 A1 US 2008181660A1
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- Prior art keywords
- opening
- toner cartridge
- case
- toner
- developing
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- G—PHYSICS
- G03—PHOTOGRAPHY; CINEMATOGRAPHY; ANALOGOUS TECHNIQUES USING WAVES OTHER THAN OPTICAL WAVES; ELECTROGRAPHY; HOLOGRAPHY
- G03G—ELECTROGRAPHY; ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHY; MAGNETOGRAPHY
- G03G15/00—Apparatus for electrographic processes using a charge pattern
- G03G15/06—Apparatus for electrographic processes using a charge pattern for developing
- G03G15/08—Apparatus for electrographic processes using a charge pattern for developing using a solid developer, e.g. powder developer
- G03G15/0896—Arrangements or disposition of the complete developer unit or parts thereof not provided for by groups G03G15/08 - G03G15/0894
Definitions
- aspects of the present invention relate to a developing device including a detachable toner cartridge for an image forming apparatus such as a laser printer.
- a developing device of a laser printer in which a toner cartridge is detachably attached to a developing case, and opening/closing operations of a first blocking member that closes a first opening of the toner cartridge are interlocked with those of a second blocking member that closes a second opening of the developing case in order to prevent a toner from unnecessarily leaking.
- JP-A-7-225514 discloses a developing device in which a case has a pair of right and left blankets, a second shutter is attached to an arm which is swingably disposed on boss portions of outer peripheries of support grooves of the blankets, and a first shutter is disposed on a lever which is swung about a support shaft of the toner cartridge.
- the support shaft of the toner cartridge is fitted into support grooves of the developing case.
- the first shutter when the toner cartridge is detached from the developing device, the first shutter is maintained to close the toner discharging port by a first locking mechanism.
- the second shutter In the developing device, the second shutter is maintained to close the toner introducing port by a second locking mechanism. Therefore, if the toner cartridge is detached from the developing device, the first locking mechanism and the second locking mechanism prevent the first shutter and the second shutter from being accidentally swung to cause the toner to leak from the interior of the toner cartridge and the stirring chamber of the developing device.
- each of the first locking mechanism and the second locking mechanism disclosed in JP-A-7-225514 is configured by a locking member and a screw. Further, the first locking mechanism and the second locking mechanism are configured separately from the first or second shutter. In order to respectively attach the locking mechanisms to the first shutter and the second shutter, a push pin and an engaging hole must be formed in each of the first shutter and the second shutter. Thus, structure of the toner cartridge and the developing case may be complicated.
- aspects of the invention provide a developing device which can enhance degree of freedom in design and prevent developer from leaking by a simple structure and an easy operation.
- FIG. 1 is an exemplary side sectional view of a laser printer which is an example of the image forming apparatus
- FIG. 2 is an exemplary right side perspective view of a process cartridge in the laser printer shown in FIG. 1 , as viewed from a front upper side;
- FIG. 3 is an exemplary left side sectional view of the process cartridge of FIG. 2 ;
- FIG. 4A is a schematic view of the process cartridge showing a state where an opening/closing lever is at an abutting position in FIG. 2
- FIG. 4B is a schematic view showing a state where the opening/closing lever is at a canceling position in FIG. 4A
- FIG. 4C is a schematic view showing a state where the opening/closing lever is at a detaching position in FIG. 4A ;
- FIG. 5A is an exemplary left side perspective view of the toner cartridge of the process cartridge as viewed from a rear upper side, and showing a state where a toner discharging port is opened
- FIG. 5B is an exemplary left side perspective view showing a state where the toner discharging port is closed in FIG. 5A
- FIG. 5C is an exemplary left side perspective view of an inner case of the toner cartridge shown in FIG. 5A as viewed from the rear upper side;
- FIG. 6 is an exemplary view showing a state where the toner cartridge is detached and the opening/closing lever is at a first position in FIG. 2 , together with the detached toner cartridge;
- FIG. 7 is an exemplary view showing a state where the opening/closing lever is at a third position in FIG. 2 ;
- FIG. 8 is an exemplary left side sectional view of the process cartridge of FIG. 6 ;
- FIG. 9 is an exemplary left side sectional view of the process cartridge of FIG. 7 and showing a state where a state where a swinging portion is in a second state;
- FIG. 10 is an exemplary left side sectional view of the process cartridge of FIG. 7 and showing a state where the swinging portion is in a third state;
- FIGS. 11A to 11D are schematic views of the process cartridge showing manners of attaching and detaching the toner cartridge, in which FIG. 11A shows a manner in which the toner cartridge is detached, and the opening/closing lever is at the first position, FIG. 11B shows a manner in which the toner cartridge is shifted from the attachment position in the detaching direction, and the opening/closing lever is at the first position, FIG. 11C shows a manner in which the toner cartridge is at the attachment position, and the opening/closing lever is at the third position, and FIG. 11D shows a manner in which the toner cartridge is at the attachment position, and the opening/closing lever is at a second position.
- a developing device including: a developer carrier that carries developer; a developing case that supports the developer carrier; and a toner cartridge that houses the developer and is attachable to and detachable from the developing case, wherein the toner cartridge includes: a toner case including a first opening for supplying the developer to the developing case; and a first blocking member that opens and closes the first opening, wherein the developing case includes: a second opening for receiving the developer supplied from the first opening; a second blocking member that opens and closes the second opening; and an opening/closing member that is swingably disposed on the developing case and opens and closes the first blocking member and the second blocking member, wherein the opening/closing member is swingable among predetermined positions, the predetermined positions including: a first position where the toner cartridge is detached from the developing case and the second opening is closed; a second position where the toner cartridge is attached to the developing case and the first opening and the second opening are opened to communicate with each other; and a third position where the
- a developing device including: a developer carrier that carries developer; a developing case that supports the developer carrier; and a toner cartridge that houses the developer and is attachable to and detachable from the developing case, wherein the toner cartridge includes: a toner case including a first opening for supplying the developer to the developing case; and a first blocking member that opens and closes the first opening, wherein the developing case includes: a second opening for receiving the developer supplied from the first opening; a second blocking member that opens and closes the second opening; and an opening/closing member that is swingably disposed on the developing case and opens and closes the first blocking member and the second blocking member, wherein the opening/closing member is swingable among predetermined positions, the predetermined positions including: a first position where the toner cartridge is detached from the developing case and the second opening is closed; a second position where the toner cartridge is attached to the developing case and the first opening and the second opening are opened to communicate with each other; and a third position where the
- FIG. 1 is an exemplary side sectional view showing a laser printer which is an example of the image forming apparatus of the invention.
- the laser printer 1 includes a body casing 2 , a feeder portion 4 which feeds a sheet 3 housed in the body casing 2 and an image forming unit 5 which forms an image on the fed sheet 3 .
- the body casing 2 is an example of the body of the image forming apparatus.
- an access port 6 is formed through which a process cartridge 20 is passed during operations of attaching and detaching the process cartridge 20 .
- a front cover 7 which openably covers the access port 6 is disposed.
- the process cartridge 20 is an example of a developing device (described later).
- the side where the front cover 7 is disposed in a state where the process cartridge 20 is attached to the body casing 2 is referred to as the front side (front face side), and the opposite side is referred to as the rear side (back face side).
- the front side in a thickness direction of the paper sheet of FIG. 1 is referred to as the left side
- the back side in the thickness direction of the paper sheet of FIG. 1 is referred to as the right side.
- the right and left direction may be referred to as a width direction.
- the front cover 7 is swingably supported by a cover shaft 8 , which is disposed in a lower end portion of the front cover 7 .
- a cover shaft 8 which is disposed in a lower end portion of the front cover 7 .
- the access port 6 is covered by the front cover 7 .
- the front cover 7 is opened with setting the cover shaft 8 as a fulcrum, the access port 6 is opened. Accordingly, the process cartridge 20 can be attached to and detached from the body casing 2 through the access port 6 .
- the feeder portion 4 is disposed in a bottom portion of the body casing 2 .
- the feeder portion 4 includes a sheet feed tray 9 , a separating roller 10 , a separation pad 11 , a sheet feed roller 12 , a paper dust removing roller 13 , a pinch roller 14 and a registering roller 15 .
- the sheet feed tray 9 includes a sheet press plate 16 therein and a lever 17 in a front portion thereof. A front portion of the sheet press plate 16 is raised by the lever 17 .
- Sheets 3 stacked on the sheet press plate 16 is conveyed to a separation position between the separating roller 10 and the separation pad 11 by rotation of the sheet feed roller 12 , separated one by one at the separation position, and passed between the paper dust removing roller 13 and the pinch roller 14 to be conveyed toward the registering roller 15 .
- the sheet 3 conveyed to the registering roller 15 is further conveyed to a transferring position between a photosensitive drum 28 , which is an example of a photosensitive member (described later), and a transfer roller 31 .
- the image forming unit 5 includes a scanner portion 19 , a process cartridge 20 and a fixing portion 21 .
- the scanner portion 19 is disposed in an upper portion of the body casing 2 .
- the scanner portion 19 includes a laser light source (not shown), a polygon mirror 22 that is rotatingly driven, an f ⁇ lens 23 , a reflecting mirror 24 , a lens 25 and a reflecting mirror 26 .
- a laser beam which is emitted from the laser light source on the basis of image data is deflected by the polygon mirror 22 , and passed through the f ⁇ lens 23 , and the optical path is folded back by the reflecting mirror 24 .
- the laser beam is passed through the lens 25 , and the optical path is further downward folded back by the reflecting mirror 26 , whereby the laser beam irradiates the surface of the photosensitive drum 28 of the process cartridge 20 .
- FIG. 2 is an exemplary right side perspective view of the process cartridge in the laser printer shown in FIG. 1 , as viewed from the front upper side.
- FIG. 3 is an exemplary left side sectional view of the process cartridge of FIG. 2 .
- FIG. 4A is a schematic view of the process cartridge showing a state where a toner cartridge is removed away from the process cartridge in FIG. 2 , and an opening/closing lever is at an abutting position to open a toner introduction port.
- FIG. 4B is a schematic view showing a state where the opening/closing lever is at a canceling position to close the toner introduction port in FIG. 4A .
- FIG. 4C is a view showing a state where, in FIG. 4A , the opening/closing lever is at a detaching position to close the toner introduction port.
- FIG. 5A is an exemplary left side perspective view of the toner cartridge of the process cartridge shown in FIG. 2 , as viewed from the rear upper side, and showing a state where a toner discharging port is opened.
- FIG. 5B is an exemplary left side perspective view showing a state where, in FIG. 5A , the toner discharging port is closed.
- FIG. 5C is an exemplary left side perspective view of an inner case of the toner cartridge shown in FIG. 5A , as viewed from the rear upper side.
- FIG. 6 shows a state where the toner cartridge is detached and the opening/closing lever is at the canceling position in FIG. 2 , together with the detached toner cartridge.
- FIG. 7 shows a state where the opening/closing lever is at the canceling position in FIG. 2 .
- FIG. 8 is an exemplary left side sectional view of the process cartridge of FIG. 6 .
- FIG. 9 is an exemplary left side sectional view of the process cartridge of FIG. 7 and showing a state where a swinging portion is in a second state.
- FIG. 10 is an exemplary left side sectional view of the process cartridge of FIG. 7 and showing a state where the swinging portion is in a third state.
- FIGS. 11A to 11D are schematic views of main portions of the process cartridge showing manners of attaching and detaching the toner cartridge and showing the vicinities of the opening/closing lever, and first width-direction projection and second width-direction projection.
- FIG. 11A shows a manner in which the toner cartridge is detached, and the opening/closing lever is at a first position.
- FIG. 11B shows a manner in which the toner cartridge is shifted from the attachment position in the detaching direction, and the opening/closing lever is at the first position.
- FIG. 11C shows a manner in which the toner cartridge is at the attachment position, and the opening/closing lever is at a third position.
- FIG. 11D shows a manner in which the toner cartridge is at the attachment position, and the opening/closing lever is at a second position.
- the process cartridge 20 is disposed below the scanner portion 19 in the body casing 2 .
- the process cartridge 20 is detachably attached to the body casing 2 through the access port 6 .
- directions of attaching/detaching the process cartridge 20 with respect to the body casing 2 are a rearward and obliquely downward direction (attaching direction) and a forward and obliquely upward direction (detaching direction).
- the process cartridge 20 includes a developing case 62 and a toner cartridge 40 .
- the toner cartridge 40 is detachably attached to the developing case 62 .
- the process cartridge 20 further includes, in the developing case 62 , the photosensitive drum 28 , a scorotron charging device 29 , the transfer roller 31 , a supplying roller 101 , a developing roller 104 and a layer-thickness restricting blade 107 .
- the developing roller 104 is an example of a developer carrier.
- a right side wall 69 As shown in FIG. 2 , a right side wall 69 , a left side wall 70 , a bottom wall 75 , a rear side wall 77 , a top wall 115 and a front side wall 64 (see FIG. 3 ) are integrally formed in the developing case 62 .
- the right side wall 69 and the left side wall 70 are opposed to each other in the width direction with forming a space therebetween.
- a first passage hole 70 which is passed through the right or left side wall 69 , 70 in the width direction is formed in an intermediate portion in the forward and rearward direction.
- the rear side wall 77 extends between the rear edges of the right and left side walls 69 , 70 .
- the top wall 115 extends between the rear upper edges of the right and left side walls 69 , 70 . That is, the top wall 115 do not extend between the front upper edges of the right and left side walls 69 , 70 , and the upper side is opened in the front side of the developing case 62 .
- a laser entrance hole 78 which allows the laser beam from the scanner portion 19 to be incident on the photosensitive drum 28 is formed in an intermediate portion in the forward and rearward direction of the top wall 115 .
- the front side wall 64 extends between the right and left side walls 69 , 70 .
- the front side wall 64 integrally includes a vertical wall 120 and a bent wall 121 .
- the vertical wall 120 extends upward from an intermediate portion in the forward and rearward direction of the bottom wall 75 .
- the bent wall 121 is bent rearward from the upper edge of the vertical wall 120 and is again bent to upward extend to be connected to an intermediate portion in the forward and rearward direction of the top wall 115 .
- the vertical wall 120 is formed such that the portion extending from the portion connected to the bottom wall 75 to an intermediate portion has a substantially inferior arc shape.
- the bottom wall 75 extends between the lower edges of the right and left side walls 69 , 70 .
- a substantially front half of the bottom wall 75 integrally includes a first bottom wall portion 160 that is connected to the vertical wall 120 and a second bottom wall portion 123 that forward extends from the front edge of the first bottom wall portion 160 .
- the first bottom wall portion 160 is formed such that a side section exhibits a substantially inferior arc shape, and the front edge of the portion is connected to the rear edge of the second bottom wall portion 123 .
- the second bottom wall portion 123 has a substantially L-like side sectional shape that forward extends from the rear edge and is bent to extend upward.
- an engaged portion 124 is integrally formed in a substantially middle portion in the width direction of a front and upper end portion of the second bottom wall portion 123 .
- the engaged portion 124 has a substantially hook-like sectional shape in a side view which is bent at the upper edge of the second bottom wall portion and slightly extends forward.
- substantially inferior arc portion of the vertical wall 120 and the first bottom wall portion 160 may be collectively referred to as a curved wall 122 (see FIG. 3 ).
- a square column 89 is integrally formed on a width-direction inner side face of each of the right and left side walls 69 , 70 and in the vicinity of a connecting position with respect to the vertical wall 120 .
- the square column 89 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape which is vertically elongated.
- a guide groove 119 in which a front end face is rearward recessed is formed in an upper end portion of the square column.
- a rib 90 is integrally formed on a width-direction inner side face of the square column 89 and below the guide groove 119 .
- the rib 90 is projected to the inner side of the width direction such that a side sectional shape exhibits a substantially inferior arc shape.
- the rib is placed so as to substantially extend along the curved wall 122 while forming a small gap in a radial direction with respect to the curved wall 122 .
- a portion defined by the right side wall 69 , the left side wall 70 , the front side wall 64 , the first bottom wall portion 160 and the second bottom wall portion 123 of the bottom wall 75 is configured as a toner cartridge housing chamber 71 for housing the toner cartridge 40 .
- the toner cartridge housing chamber 71 has a substantially bottomed frame-like shape in which the upper and front sides are opened.
- the toner introduction port 88 is formed at the middle position in the width direction of the vertical wall 120 .
- the toner introduction port 88 is an example of a second opening that penetrates through the vertical wall 120 in the thickness direction.
- the toner introduction port 88 has a substantially rectangular shape which is elongated in the width direction.
- the toner introduction port 88 causes the toner cartridge housing chamber 71 to communicate with a developing chamber 72 .
- the developing chamber 72 is a portion defined by the right side wall 69 , the left side wall 70 , the front side wall 64 and the photosensitive drum 28 .
- the photosensitive drum 28 is rotatably supported between the right and left side walls 69 , 70 .
- the surfacemost layer is formed by a positive charging photosensitive layer.
- the scorotron charging device 29 is supported by the top wall 115 on an obliquely upper rear side of the photosensitive drum 28 .
- the scorotron charging device 29 is disposed so as to oppose to the photosensitive drum 28 with forming a gap so as not to be contacted therewith.
- the transfer roller 31 is disposed below the photosensitive drum 28 .
- the transfer roller 31 is placed so as to be vertically opposed to and contacted with the photosensitive drum 28 to form a nip between the roller and the photosensitive drum 28 .
- the nip functions as the transferring position between the photosensitive drum 28 and the transfer roller 31 .
- the transfer roller 31 is rotatably supported between the right and left side walls 69 , 70 .
- the supplying roller 101 is placed in rear of and obliquely below the toner introduction port 88 .
- the supplying roller 101 is rotatably supported between the right and left side walls 69 , 70 .
- the developing roller 104 is elongated in the width direction.
- the developing roller 104 is placed in rear of and obliquely above the supplying roller 101 in a state where the developing roller is contacted with the supplying roller 101 so as to be mutually compressed.
- the developing roller 104 is rotatably supported between the right and left side walls 69 , 70 .
- the developing roller 104 is placed in front of the photosensitive drum 28 so as to be opposingly contacted therewith.
- the layer-thickness restricting blade 107 is configured by a plate spring member and includes a pressing portion 148 having a substantially semicircular section shape, in a free end portion. A basal end portion of the layer-thickness restricting blade 107 is supported above the developing roller 104 by the developing case 62 in order to press contact the pressing portion 148 onto the developing roller 104 by the elastic force of the layer-thickness restricting blade 107 .
- the toner cartridge housing chamber 71 includes a shutter 111 .
- the shutter 111 is an example of a second blocking member.
- the shutter 111 is a thin plate formed as an inferior arc in which the peripheral length is slightly shorter than the curved wall 122 , in a side sectional view.
- a through hole 112 is formed at the middle position in the width direction of the upper half of the shutter 111 .
- the through hole 112 has a substantially rectangular shape in a front view and penetrates through the shutter 111 in the width direction.
- Cutaway portions 136 which are cut away in a substantially L-like shape in a front view, are formed in upper and lower end portions of both end portions in the width direction of the shutter 111 , respectively.
- engaged portions 139 which are to be engaged respectively with second radial projections 57 of the toner cartridge 40 in a state where the toner cartridge 40 is attached to the process cartridge 20 are disposed in inner sides in the width direction with respect to the cutaway portions 136 , respectively.
- both width-direction end portions of the shutter 111 are interposed between the curved wall 122 and the ribs 90 of the square column 89 , whereby the shutter 111 is swingably supported along the side section shapes of the ribs 90 between the right and left side walls 69 , 70 .
- the shutter 111 is swingable between a development closing position (see FIG. 8 ) where the toner introduction port 88 is closed by a portion of the shutter 111 in which the through hole 112 is not formed, i.e., in the closed state of the toner introduction port 88 , and a development opening position (see FIG. 3 ) where the through hole 112 is opposed to the toner introduction port 88 , thereby forward opening the toner introduction port 88 .
- the shutter 111 is at the development closing position, and its swinging operation is restricted.
- a seal member 125 is interposed between the curved wall 122 and the shutter 111 .
- the seal member 125 made of felt or the like and having a substantially sheet-like shape is applied to the front side face of the curved wall 122 so as not to close the toner introduction port 88 .
- the toner cartridge housing chamber 71 includes the opening/closing lever 113 .
- the opening/closing lever 113 is an example of an abutting member.
- the opening/closing lever 113 has a substantially U-like shape in a plan view.
- a right supporting portion 108 , a left supporting portion 109 and a lever gripping portion 110 are integrally formed in the opening/closing lever 113 .
- the right and left supporting portions 108 , 109 are formed as a thin plate having a substantially P-like shape in a right side view.
- a circular hole 114 penetrating through the right or left supporting portion 108 or 109 in the thickness direction is formed at a substantially middle position of the rear half portion of each of the right and left supporting portions 108 , 109 .
- a support cylinder 135 which has the same inner diameter as the circular hole 114 , and which is projected to the outside in the width direction is supported at a position corresponding to the circular hole 114 .
- the outer diameter of the support cylinder 135 is slightly smaller than the inner diameter of a first through hole 97 formed in each of the right and left side walls 69 , 70 .
- a receiving portion 117 in which the upper edge is recessed toward the circular hole 114 in a substantially U-like shape in a side view is formed in a portion which is above the circular hole 114 of each of the right and left supporting portions 108 , 109 .
- a portion forming the rear edge of the receiving portion 117 i.e., that behind the receiving portion 117 is referred to as a rear portion 151
- that forming the front edge of the receiving portion 117 i.e., that before the receiving portion 117 is referred to as a front portion 152 .
- the circle center of the circular hole 114 is positioned between the rear and front portions 151 , 152 in the arrangement direction of the rear and front portions 151 , 152 (the forward and rearward direction in FIG. 4A ).
- the lever gripping portion 110 is formed as a thin plate which has a substantially rectangular shape which is stretched between front end portions of the right and left supporting portions 108 , 109 , in a front view.
- a grip portion 118 which is an example of a first gripping portion, and in which the lower edge is upward recessed is formed at the middle position in the width direction of the lever gripping portion.
- abutting projections 141 which are projected toward the respective circular holes 114 , and which have a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape are formed in both wide-direction end portions of the side faces on the sides of the circular holes 114 , respectively.
- the support cylinders 135 of the right and left supporting portions 108 , 109 are internally fitted in the first through holes 97 of the right and left side walls 69 , 70 , so that the opening/closing lever 113 is supported by the right and left side walls 69 , 70 to be swingable about the circle center of the circular holes 114 .
- the opening/closing lever 113 is swingable among the first position (see FIGS. 4C , 6 , and 8 , and FIGS. 11A and 11B ) where the lever is deviated from an attachment/detachment path X of the toner cartridge 40 with respect to the developing case 62 , the third position (see FIGS.
- the lever gripping portion 110 is at an intermediate position of the swinging range of the opening/closing lever 113 , specifically, at a position which is higher in level than that in the case where the opening/closing lever 113 is at the first position, and an intermediate position of the attachment/detachment path X (see FIG. 9 ).
- the lever gripping portion 110 is at the highest position of the swinging range of the opening/closing lever 113 , specifically, at a position which is higher in level than that in the case where the opening/closing lever 113 is at the third position, and an intermediate position of the attachment/detachment path X (see FIG. 3 ).
- the right and left supporting portions 108 , 109 are set as a reference, when the opening/closing lever 113 is at the second position, the right and left supporting portions 108 , 109 extend in a substantially horizontal direction (see FIG. 11D ).
- the opening/closing lever 113 When the opening/closing lever 113 is at the third position, the right and left supporting portions 108 , 109 are inclined with respect to the horizontal direction (see FIG. 11C ). When the opening/closing lever 113 is at the first position, the right and left supporting portions 108 , 109 are more inclined with respect to the horizontal direction than the case where the opening/closing lever 113 is at the third position (see FIGS. 11A and 11B ). In this way, the third position is between the second and first positions. If the toner cartridge 40 is not attached to the developing case 62 (i.e., the cartridge is detached from the case), the opening/closing lever 113 is located at the first position by its own weight, and the receiving portions 117 are exposed to the front side (see FIG. 11A ).
- the grip portion 118 is always exposed to the outside from the toner cartridge housing chamber 71 in a side view.
- the toner cartridge 40 is detachably attached to the toner cartridge housing chamber 71 of the developing case 62 .
- the process cartridge 20 to which the toner cartridge 40 is attached is attached to or detached from the body casing 2 through the access port 6 .
- the toner cartridge 40 can be attached to or detached from the body casing 2 .
- the process cartridge 20 is attached to the body casing 2
- the toner cartridge 40 can be attached to or detached from the developing case 62 . That is, the toner cartridge 40 alone can be attached to or detached from the body casing 2 .
- the attaching/detaching direction of the toner cartridge 40 with respect to the developing case 62 of the process cartridge 20 is the rearward and obliquely downward direction (attaching direction) and forward and obliquely upward direction (detaching direction) which are near horizontal.
- the attachment/detachment path X is indicated in FIGS. 3 , 8 , 9 , and 11 A to 11 D.
- a direction perpendicular to the attaching/detaching direction of the toner cartridge 40 with respect to the developing case 62 is the width direction.
- the toner cartridge housing chamber 71 is positioned in front of the process cartridge 20 . Therefore, when the front cover 7 is opened to open the access port 6 , the toner cartridge 40 is exposed from the access port 6 as shown in FIG. 1 .
- the toner cartridge 40 includes an outer case 41 and an inner case 42 which have a substantially ⁇ -like shape in a left side sectional view and are made of a resin or the like.
- the outer case 41 and the inner case 42 are an example of a toner case.
- the outer case 41 has a substantially ⁇ -like shape in a left side sectional view similar to that of the toner cartridge 40 , and integrally includes a cylinder portion 43 and a guide lever 44 .
- the cylinder portion 43 is formed as a hollow cylindrical member which is elongated in the width direction, and which has a substantially rectangular shape in a side view, and includes an outer peripheral wall 45 , and a pair of outer side end walls 46 formed as both width-direction end faces of the outer peripheral wall 45 .
- a first toner discharging port 49 which is an example of a first opening that penetrates through the outer peripheral wall 45 in the thickness direction is formed at the middle position in the vertical and lateral directions of the rear side face of the outer peripheral wall 45 .
- the first toner discharging port 49 is formed into a rectangular shape which is elongated in the width direction.
- An upper guide groove 129 which penetrates through the outer peripheral wall 45 in the thickness direction is formed in each of width-direction end portions of the rear side face of the outer peripheral wall 45 , at a level higher than the first toner discharging port 49 .
- a lower guide groove 130 which penetrates through the outer peripheral wall 45 in the thickness direction is formed in each of width-direction end portions of the outer peripheral wall 45 , at a level lower than the first toner discharging port 49 .
- the upper and lower guide grooves 129 , 130 have a rectangular shape in a rear view which is elongated in the circumferential direction, and are set so that their circumferential lengths are about twice the circumferential length of the first toner discharging port 49 , and their axial lengths are about one half of the circumferential length of the first toner discharging port 49 .
- a projection exposing hole 149 is formed at a substantially middle in the width direction of the front side face of the outer peripheral wall 45 .
- the projection exposing hole 149 is formed into a rectangular shape, and penetrates through the outer peripheral wall 45 in the thickness direction.
- Abutted members 142 are disposed in both width-direction end portions of a lower portion of the front side face of the outer peripheral wall 45 .
- Each of the abutted members 142 is formed into a substantially arcuate shape in a left side view in which the member is forward projected from the front side face of the outer peripheral wall 45 .
- the dimension of the member in the width direction is approximately equal to the width of the abutting projection 141 of the opening/closing lever 113 .
- a second through hole 126 which penetrates through each of the outer side end walls 46 in the width direction is formed at a substantially middle position in the vertical and lateral directions of each of the outer side end walls 46 .
- a through groove 127 is formed on the radially outer side of the second through hole 126 , specifically, in a range from the 12 o'clock position to the 2 o'clock position in a left side view.
- the through grooves 127 have an inferior arc shape which is concentric with the second through hole 126 , and penetrate in the width direction through the respective outer side end walls 46 .
- Positioning projections 131 are integrally formed on the outer side end walls 46 , respectively. Each of the positioning projections rearward extends at a position corresponding to the upper edge of the upper guide groove 129 , and is bent to be projected to the outside in the width direction. In the positioning projection 131 , the portion which is projected to the outside in the width direction is formed into a columnar shape having an outer diameter which is smaller than the width of the guide groove 119 (see FIG. 4A ) of the process cartridge 20 .
- the guide lever 44 is placed on an upper end portion of the front side face of the outer peripheral wall 45 and at the middle position in the width direction. As shown in FIG. 6 , includes a toner cartridge-side gripping portion 91 which is an example of a second gripping portion, and the swinging portion 92 .
- the toner cartridge-side gripping portion 91 is formed into a substantially rectangular shape in a plan view which is elongated in the width direction. As shown in FIG. 8 , a rear end portion of the gripping portion is fixed to the outer peripheral wall 45 .
- the swinging portion 92 is formed into a substantially rectangular shape in a plan view and a substantially T-like shape in a side sectional view, and integrally includes a grip 93 , a first restricting portion 94 , and a second restricting portion 95 .
- the grip 93 and the second restricting portion 95 are formed into a substantially rectangular shape in a plan view.
- the first restricting portion 94 is formed into a substantially rectangular shape in a front view and a substantially J-like shape in a lift side sectional view.
- a first engaging portion 132 and a second engaging portion 133 are sequentially formed with starting from the upper side.
- the first engaging portion 132 is formed as a groove which is elongated in the width direction, in order to allow the rear side face of a lower portion of the first restricting portion 94 to be recessed toward the front side.
- the second engaging portion 133 is formed into a hook-like sectional shape in a left side sectional view in which the lower most end portion of the first restricting portion 94 is slightly bent toward the rear side below the first engaging portion 132 .
- a rear end portion of the grip 93 , an upper end portion of the first restricting portion 94 , and a front end portion of the second restricting portion 95 are connected to one another.
- a shaft through hole 96 which penetrates through the grip 93 and the first restricting portion 94 in the width direction is formed at a position where the rear end portion of the grip 93 is connected to the upper end portion of the first restricting portion 94 .
- the front side face of the outer peripheral wall 45 integrally includes a pair of shaft supporting portions 98 which are forward projected so as to sandwich the grip 93 of the swinging portion 92 in the width direction.
- a through shaft 37 which is stretched between the pair of shaft supporting portions 98 is passed through the shaft through hole 96 of the swinging portion 92 , whereby the swinging portion 92 is swingably supported by the outer peripheral wall 45 .
- a rear end portion of the toner cartridge-side gripping portion 91 is coupled to the second restricting portion 95 of the swinging portion 92 by an elastic member 128 .
- the elastic member 128 is configured by a plate spring member or the like, one end portion of the member is screwed to the rear end portion of the toner cartridge-side gripping portion 91 by a screw 134 , and the other end portion is engaged with the second restricting portion 95 . Therefore, the swinging portion 92 is always urged in a clockwise direction in the figure about the through shaft 37 by an urging force of the elastic member 128 so that the second restricting portion 95 approaches the toner cartridge-side gripping portion 91 .
- the inner case 42 is formed into a hollow cylindrical shape which is elongated in the width direction, and which is smaller than the cylinder portion 43 of the outer case 41 , and integrally includes: a cylindrical inner peripheral wall 51 which is an example of a first blocking member; and a pair of inner side end walls 52 which have a flat disk like shape, and which close the both width-direction side faces of the inner peripheral wall 51 .
- an agitator rotation shaft 53 is stretched between the centers of the inner side end walls 52 which are opposed to each other in the width direction.
- the agitator rotation shaft 53 is rotatably supported by the inner side end walls 52 .
- an agitator 56 is disposed on the agitator rotation shaft 53 .
- both width-direction end portions of the agitator rotation shaft 53 are projected to the outside in the width direction from the inner side end walls 52 , respectively.
- Collars 100 having an outer diameter which is slightly smaller than the diameter of the second through hole 126 (see FIG. 5A ) of the outer case 41 are externally fitted to the projected portions of the agitator rotation shaft 53 , respectively.
- the first width-direction projections 145 which are an example of a first projecting portion
- the second width-direction projections 150 which are an example of a second projecting portion are respectively disposed.
- the first width-direction projections 145 and the second width-direction projection 150 are formed into a columnar shape projected from the corresponding inner side end wall 52 .
- the radial directions of the first width-direction projections 145 and the second width-direction projection 150 are slightly smaller than the width of the through groove 127 , and the projections are placed on the inner side end wall 52 while forming a gap therebetween in the circumferential direction of the inner peripheral wall 51 .
- the gap is about one half of the circumferential length of the through groove 127 of the outer case 41 .
- the first width-direction projections 145 are located more rearward than the second width-direction projections 150 .
- the first width-direction projections 145 of the inner side end walls 52 are opposed to each other in the width direction, and the second width-direction projections 150 of the inner side end walls 52 are opposed to each other in the width direction.
- a second toner discharging port 55 which is an example of a third opening that penetrates through the inner peripheral wall 51 in the thickness direction is formed in one place on the circumference in the middle of the width direction of the inner peripheral wall 51 , specifically, at a position which is shifted by about 90° in a counterclockwise direction with respect to the first width-direction projections 145 and the second width-direction projection 150 .
- the second toner discharging port 55 is formed in a rectangular shape in which the dimensions are substantially identical with those of the first toner discharging port 49 of the outer case 41 .
- the first width-direction projections 145 are positioned more closely to the second toner discharging port 55 than the second width-direction projections 150 .
- a first radial projection 48 which extends along the periphery of the second toner discharging port 55 , and which is projected to the radially outer side is disposed on the inner peripheral wall 51 .
- the first radial projection 48 has a rectangular frame-like shape as viewed from the outer side in a radial direction, and is formed by an elastic material such as rubber or a sponge sheet.
- the second radial projections 57 which are an example of a second projection projected to the radially outer side are integrally disposed at positions which are slightly above the upper edge of the first radial projection 48 , respectively.
- third radial projections 63 which are an example of the second projection projected to the radially outer side are integrally disposed at positions which are below the lower edge of the first radial projection 48 , respectively.
- the second radial projection 57 and the third radial projection 63 are formed in the same dimensions, and their lengths in the width direction are set so as to be smaller than the widths of the upper and lower guide grooves 129 , 130 of the outer case 41 .
- a fourth radial projection 99 which is projected to the radially outer side, and which is elongated in the width direction is formed in a position of the inner peripheral wall 51 which is opposite to the second toner discharging port 55 about the axial center of the inner case 42 .
- the length in the width direction of the fourth radial projection 99 is set to be smaller than that of the projection exposing hole 149 of the outer case 41 .
- the inner case 42 is housed in the outer case 41 .
- the width-direction end portions of the agitator rotation shaft 53 of the inner case 42 are internally fitted together with the collars 100 into the second through holes 126 of the outer case 41 , respectively.
- the first width-direction projections 145 and the second width-direction projection 150 of the inner case 42 are projected from the through grooves 127 of the outer case 41 toward the radially outer side of the inner case 42 .
- the second radial projections 57 of the inner case 42 are projected from the upper guide grooves 129 of the outer case 41 toward the radially outer side of the inner case 42
- the third radial projections 63 of the inner case 42 are projected from the lower guide grooves 130 of the outer case 41 toward the radially outer side of the inner case 42
- the fourth radial projection 99 of the inner case 42 is exposed into the projection exposing hole 149 of the outer case 41 (see FIG. 8 ).
- the inner case 42 is installed into the outer case 41 , and the inner case 42 is swingably supported by the outer side end walls 46 of the outer case 41 . Accordingly, the first width-direction projections 145 and the second width-direction projection 150 are slidable along the through grooves 127 , the second radial projections 57 are slidable along the upper guide grooves 129 , and the third radial projections 63 are slidable along the lower guide grooves 130 .
- the first engaging portion 132 of the first restricting portion 94 of the outer case 41 is engaged with the fourth radial projection 99 of the inner case 42 , whereby swinging of the inner case 42 with respect to the outer case 41 is restricted.
- the state of the swinging portion 92 at this time is referred to as the first state.
- the swinging portion 92 is swung in a counterclockwise direction in the figure about the through shaft 37 against the urging force of the elastic member 128 . After an elapse of a short time period from the simultaneous gripping of the toner cartridge-side gripping portion 91 and the swinging portion 92 , the swinging of the swinging portion 92 stops.
- the state of the swinging portion 92 at this time is referred to as the second state.
- the first width-direction projections 145 and the second width-direction projections 150 are guided by the through grooves 127
- the second radial projections 57 are guided by the upper guide grooves 129
- the third radial projections 63 are guided by the lower guide grooves 130 .
- the first radial projection 48 of the inner case 42 is in sliding contact with the inner side face of the outer peripheral wall 45 of the outer case 41 , whereby the interface between the outer case 41 and the inner case 42 is maintained air-tightly and liquid-tightly.
- the inner case 42 can be moved to a toner closing position.
- the first toner discharging port 49 of the outer case 41 is closed by a portion of the inner peripheral wall 51 other than the second toner discharging port 55 . That is, the first toner discharging port 49 is in the closed state, and the interiors of the outer case 41 and the inner case 42 are hermetically sealed.
- the second radial projections 57 abut against the upper edges of the upper guide grooves 129
- the third radial projections 63 abut against the upper edges of the lower guide grooves 130
- the second width-direction projections 150 abut against the front edges of the through grooves 127 .
- the first width-direction projections 145 are separated from the rear edges of the through grooves 127 .
- the inner case 42 can be moved to a toner opening position shown in FIG. 5A where the first toner discharging port 49 is opened and opposed to the second toner discharging port 55 to the interiors of the outer case 41 and the inner case 42 .
- the second radial projections 57 abut against the lower edges of the respective upper guide grooves 129
- the third radial projections 63 abut against the lower edges of the lower guide grooves 130
- the first width-direction projections 145 abut against the rear edges of the through grooves 127 .
- the second width-direction projections 150 are separated from the front edges of the through grooves 127 .
- the first toner discharging port 49 is opened and closed by the inner peripheral wall 51 of the inner case 42 .
- nonmagnetic single-component toner having a positive chargeability is housed in the inner case 42 .
- the toner cartridge 40 in which the inner case 42 is at the toner closing position is attached along the attachment/detachment path X to the toner cartridge housing chamber 71 of the developing case 62 of the process cartridge 20 in which, as shown in FIG. 11A , the opening/closing lever 113 is at the first position, and the shutter 111 is at the development closing position.
- the positioning projections 131 of the toner cartridge 40 are guided by the guide grooves 119 in the toner cartridge housing chamber 71 of the process cartridge 20 .
- the swinging portion 92 of the toner cartridge 40 is in the first state (see FIG. 8 ), and the swinging of the inner case 42 with respect to the outer case 41 is restricted.
- the first width-direction projections 145 abut from the front side against the rear edges of the corresponding receiving portions 117 of the opening/closing lever 113 , i.e., the rear portions 151 of the corresponding light or left supporting portion 108 , 109 .
- the first width-direction projections 145 forward push the rear portions 151 .
- the lever gripping portion 110 which is on the side opposite to the rear portions 151 with respect to the rotation shaft of the opening/closing lever 113 is swung about the rotation shaft of the opening/closing lever 113 to be raised. That is, the opening/closing lever 113 which is at the first position is swung toward the third position.
- the first width-direction projections 145 continue to abut from the front side against the rear portions 151
- the second width-direction projections 150 abut from the front side against the front edges of the corresponding receiving portions 117 of the opening/closing lever 113 , i.e., the front portions 152 .
- the first width-direction projections 145 push the opening/closing lever 113 to swing the opening/closing lever 113 from the first position to the third position
- the first width-direction projections 145 and the second width-direction projections 150 engage with the opening/closing lever 113 in the receiving portions 117 .
- the second radial projections 57 of the toner cartridge 40 are engaged with the engaged portions 139 of the shutter 111 of the toner cartridge housing chamber 71 , and the shutter 111 is clamped in the swinging direction between the second radial projections 57 and the third radial projections 63 .
- the second engaging portion 133 is engaged with the engaged portion 124 , whereby the swinging portion 92 is set to the third state (see FIG. 10 ).
- the operation of attaching the toner cartridge 40 to the developing case 62 is completed, and the position of the toner cartridge 40 at this time is set as the attachment position.
- the grip portion 118 of the opening/closing lever 113 which is at the third position is separated by a predetermined gap from the toner cartridge-side gripping portion 91 of the toner cartridge 40 .
- the abutting projection 141 of the lever gripping portion 110 are opposed to and slightly contacted with the front side faces of the corresponding abutted members 142 of the toner cartridge 40 .
- the swinging portion 92 is at the third state.
- the inner case 42 is swingable with respect to the outer case 41 . Therefore, when the opening/closing lever 113 is swung from the third position to the second position (see FIG. 2 and FIG. 11D ), the inner case 42 which is engaged with the opening/closing lever 113 by the first width-direction projections 145 and the second width-direction projections 150 is swung from the toner closing position (see FIG. 10 ) to the toner opening position (see FIG. 3 ) in conjunction with the swinging of the opening/closing lever 113 . In the receiving portions 117 , specifically, the second width-direction projections 150 are pushed by the opening/closing lever 113 along the direction of the swinging from the third position to the second position, whereby the inner case 42 is swung.
- the first toner discharging port 49 is opened in accordance with the swinging of the opening/closing lever 113 to open-operate the inner peripheral wall 51 , and the first toner discharging port 49 and the second toner discharging port 55 are opposed to each other to communicate with each other.
- the shutter 111 which is clamped between the second radial projections 57 of the inner case 42 and the third radial projections 63 is swung from the development closing position (see FIG.
- the through hole 112 of the shutter 111 is opposed to the toner introduction port 88 of the toner cartridge housing chamber 71 , and the toner introduction port 88 is opened.
- the operation of opening the toner introduction port 88 by the shutter 111 is performed through the operation in which the first toner discharging port 49 is opened by the inner peripheral wall 51 of the inner case 42 .
- the opening/closing lever 113 swings the shutter 111 , and then performs the opening operation on the shutter 111 and the inner peripheral wall 51 .
- the lever gripping portion 110 is upward swung. Therefore, when the opening/closing lever 113 is at the second position, the grip portion 118 is adjacent to the toner cartridge-side gripping portion 91 .
- the shutter 111 is at the development opening position, and the inner case 42 is at the toner opening position. Therefore, the through hole 112 and toner introduction port 88 which are in the opposed state in the toner cartridge housing chamber 71 are opposed to and communicate with the first toner discharging port 49 and the second toner discharging port 55 which are in the opposed state in the toner cartridge 40 . Therefore, the interior of the inner case 42 of the toner cartridge 40 communicates with that of the developing chamber 72 of the developing case 62 through the toner introduction port 88 , the through hole 112 , and the first toner discharging port 49 and the second toner discharging port 55 .
- the interface between the outer case 41 in which the first toner discharging port 49 is formed, and the inner case 42 in which the second toner discharging port 55 is formed is maintained air-tightly and liquid-tightly by the first radial projection 48 , and the seal member 125 is interposed between the shutter 111 in which the through hole 112 is formed, and the curved wall 122 in which the toner introduction port 88 is formed. Therefore, the toner is prevented from leaking to the outside from the toner introduction port 88 , the through hole 112 , and the first toner discharging port 49 and the second toner discharging port 55 .
- the abutting projections 141 of the lever gripping portion 110 abut (referred to as “abut” in distinction from “contact” at the third position) against an upper end portion of the front side face of the abutted members 142 from the front side (the downstream side in the direction along which the toner cartridge 40 is detached from the developing case 62 ) with respect to the abutted members 142 at a contact pressure which is higher than that exerted when the opening/closing lever 113 is at the third position (see FIG. 7 ).
- the opening/closing lever 113 which is at the second position is swung to the third position as shown in FIG. 10 . Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 11C and 11D , in the receiving portions 117 , the first width-direction projections 145 are pushed by the opening/closing lever 113 along the direction of the swinging from the second position to the third position, whereby the inner case 42 is swung. In conjunction of the swinging of the opening/closing lever 113 , as shown in FIG. 10 , the inner case 42 is swung from the toner opening position to the toner closing position.
- the inner peripheral wall 51 is close-operated, and the first toner discharging port 49 of the outer peripheral wall 45 of the outer case 41 is closed by a portion of the inner peripheral wall 51 of the inner case 42 other than the second toner discharging port 55 . Therefore, the communication between the first toner discharging port 49 and the second toner discharging port 55 is blocked, and the interiors of the outer case 41 and the inner case 42 are hermetically sealed.
- the second radial projection 57 and the third radial projection 63 are swung. Therefore, the shutter 111 which is clamped between the second radial projection 57 and the third radial projection 63 is swung from the development opening position to the development closing position. As a result, the toner introduction port 88 of the toner cartridge housing chamber 71 is closed by a portion of the shutter 111 other than the through hole 112 .
- the opening/closing lever 113 if the opening/closing lever 113 is at the third position, the first toner discharging port 49 and the toner introduction port 88 are closed, and the communication between the first toner discharging port 49 and the toner introduction port 88 is blocked.
- the operation of closing the toner introduction port 88 by the shutter 111 is performed through the operation in which the first toner discharging port 49 is closed by the inner peripheral wall 51 of the inner case 42 .
- the opening/closing lever 113 When the opening/closing lever 113 is swung from the second position to the third position, the opening/closing lever 113 causes the shutter 111 and the inner peripheral wall 51 to perform the closing operation.
- the lever gripping portion 110 is downward swung. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 7 , the abutting projections 141 of the lever gripping portion 110 are downward swung while overriding the front faces of the abutted members 142 .
- the abutting projections 141 are opposed to and slightly contacted with the front faces of the abutted members 142 . That is, when the opening/closing lever 113 is at the third position, the abutting state of the abutting projections 141 against the abutted members 142 is canceled.
- the opening/closing lever 113 is swung to the third position, as shown in FIG. 10 , the first restricting portion 94 is in the third state, and the second engaging portion 133 is engaged with the engaged portion 124 . Therefore, as shown in FIG. 9 , the swinging portion 92 is swung to the second state to cancel the engagement between the second engaging portion 133 and the engaged portion 124 . While maintaining the swinging portion 92 to be in the second state (while maintaining the swinging portion 92 to be gripped), the toner cartridge 40 is pulled out from the toner cartridge housing chamber 71 in the forward and obliquely upward direction. At this time, the positioning projections 131 (see FIG.
- the swinging portion 92 is set to the first state (see FIG. 8 ).
- the toner cartridge 40 is attached to the developing case 62 of the process cartridge 20 to be housed in the toner cartridge housing chamber 71 .
- a driving force from a motor (not shown) is applied to the agitator rotation shaft 53 .
- the agitator rotation shaft 53 is rotated in a clockwise direction in a left side view, and the agitator 56 is circumferentially moved in the inner case 42 of the toner cartridge 40 , about the agitator rotation shaft 53 .
- the toner in the toner cartridge 40 is stirred by the agitator 56 , and supplied to the first toner discharging port 49 through the second toner discharging port 55 . Thereafter, the toner is supplied to the developing case 62 through the first toner discharging port 49 , and received by the through hole 112 , and the toner introduction port 88 to be discharged into the developing chamber 72 .
- the toner which is discharged into the developing chamber 72 through the toner introduction port 88 is supplied to the developing roller 104 by the rotation of the supplying roller 101 . At this time, the toner is frictionally charged to the positive polarity between the supplying roller 101 and the developing roller 104 . In accordance with the rotation of the developing roller 104 , the toner which is supplied onto the developing roller 104 enters between the pressing portion 148 of the layer-thickness restricting blade 107 and the developing roller 104 , and carried as a thin layer of a constant thickness on the developing roller 104 .
- the surface of the photosensitive drum 28 is first uniformly charged to the positive polarity by the scorotron charging device 29 , and then exposed by high speed scanning of the laser beam from the scanner portion 19 , so that an electrostatic latent image corresponding to an image to be formed on the sheet 3 is formed.
- the rotation of the developing roller 104 causes the toner which is carried on the developing roller 104 , and which is charged to the positive polarity, to be opposed and contacted to the photosensitive drum 28 .
- the toner is supplied to the electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 28 . Therefore, the electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum 28 is converted to a visible image, so that a toner image formed by reversal development is carried on the surface of the photosensitive drum 28 .
- the toner image carried on the surface of the photosensitive drum 28 is then transferred to the sheet 3 by a transfer bias applied to the transfer roller 31 .
- the sheet 3 onto which the toner is transferred, is conveyed to the fixing portion 21 .
- the fixing portion 21 is disposed behind the process cartridge 20 .
- the fixing portion 21 is placed while forming a gap in the forward and rearward direction between the portion and the photosensitive drum 28 of the process cartridge 20 .
- the fixing portion 21 includes a heating roller 60 and a pressurizing roller 61 .
- the toner image transferred onto the sheet 3 at the transferring position is thermally fixed during a period when the sheet 3 is passed through between the heating roller 60 and the pressurizing roller 61 .
- the sheet 3 onto which the toner image is fixed is conveyed to a discharge-side conveying path to be conveyed by a conveying roller 155 toward a discharging roller 47 , and then discharged by the discharging roller 47 onto a discharge tray 58 .
- the discharge tray 58 is formed on the upper face of the body casing 2 .
- the opening/closing lever 113 is disposed on the developing case 62 of the process cartridge 20 . Therefore, when the toner cartridge 40 is not attached to the developing case 62 of the process cartridge 20 as shown in FIG. 8 , the opening/closing operations of the inner peripheral wall 51 disposed on the toner cartridge 40 are restricted. Accordingly, the first toner discharging port 49 can be prevented from being accidentally opened or closed.
- the opening/closing lever 113 which is swingably disposed on the developing case 62 abuts against the toner cartridge 40 from the downstream side (front side) in the direction along which the toner cartridge 40 is detached from the developing case 62 as shown in FIG. 3 . Therefore, even when a force of moving the toner cartridge 40 in the detaching direction (front side) is applied to the toner cartridge 40 , the relative forward movement of the toner cartridge 40 with respect to the developing case 62 can be restricted. Accordingly, the state of attaching the toner cartridge 40 to the developing case 62 can be surely maintained.
- the opening/closing lever 113 can open and close the inner peripheral wall 51 and the shutter 111 . Therefore, if the toner cartridge 40 is attached to the developing case 62 , the opening/closing lever 113 is swung to open the inner peripheral wall 51 and the shutter 111 , the first toner discharging port 49 and the toner introduction port 88 are opened to communicate with each other so that the toner can be supplied from the toner cartridge 40 to the developing case 62 . If the toner cartridge 40 is attached to the developing case 62 as shown in FIG.
- the opening/closing lever 113 is swung to close the first toner discharging port 49 and the toner introduction port 88 . Further, the first toner discharging port 49 and the toner introduction port 88 are closed to block communication between the first toner discharging port 49 and the toner introduction port 88 . Therefore, the toner cartridge 40 can be detached from the developing case 62 without causing the toner to leak from the first toner discharging port 49 and the toner introduction port 88 . Accordingly, the toner can be prevented from leaking from the toner cartridge 40 and the process cartridge 20 by the simple configuration and the easy operation.
- the opening/closing lever 113 is swingable among the first position, the second position, and the third position which is between the first width-direction projections 145 and the second width-direction projections 150 .
- the opening/closing lever 113 is at the first position, the state where the toner cartridge 40 is detached from the developing case 62 and the toner introduction port 88 is closed is attained as shown in FIG. 8 .
- the opening/closing lever 113 is at the second position, the toner cartridge 40 is attached to the developing case 62 as shown in FIG. 3 , and the first toner discharging port 49 and the toner introduction port 88 are opened to communicate with each other.
- the opening/closing lever 113 When the opening/closing lever 113 is at the third position, the toner cartridge 40 is attached to the developing case 62 as shown in FIG. 10 , and the first toner discharging port 49 and the toner introduction port 88 are closed to block communication between the first toner discharging port 49 and the toner introduction port 88 .
- the opening/closing lever 113 is swung from the first position to the third position as shown in FIGS. 11B and 11C . At this time, the opening/closing lever 113 is swung from the first position to the third position while maintaining the state where the communication between the first toner discharging port 49 and the toner introduction port 88 (see FIG.
- the first position can be set to a position which, in the attaching and detaching operations, is separated from the hand gripping the toner cartridge 40
- the third position can be set to a position which is close to the gripping hand. Therefore, the degree of freedom in design can be enhanced. In this case, the opening/closing lever 113 at the third position approaches the gripping hand, and the operation is facilitated.
- the degree of freedom in design can be enhanced, and the toner can be prevented from leaking by the simple configuration and the easy operation.
- the toner cartridge 40 includes the first width-direction projections 145 .
- the first width-direction projections 145 push the opening/closing lever 113 to swing the opening/closing member from the first position to the third position as shown in FIGS. 11B and 11C . Therefore, by simply providing the first width-direction projections 145 to the toner cartridge 40 , the opening/closing lever 113 can swing from the first position to the third position in accordance with attachment of the toner cartridge 40 to the developing case 62 .
- the opening/closing lever 113 is pushed by the first width-direction projections 145 , the opening/closing lever is placed at the first position as shown in FIGS. 11A and 11B .
- the attachment/detachment path X for the toner cartridge 40 is ensured. Therefore, smooth attachment and detachment of the toner cartridge 40 with respect to the developing case 62 can be ensured.
- the opening/closing lever 113 which is at the first position is deviated from the attachment/detachment path X.
- the opening/closing lever 113 is located at a position which is remote from a gripping hand for gripping the toner cartridge 40 in the attaching/detaching operations, and in which the lever is difficult to operate.
- the first width-direction projections 145 swing the opening/closing lever 113 from the first position to the third position where the lever interferes with the attachment/detachment path X as shown in FIG. 11C .
- the opening/closing lever 113 at the third position approaches the gripping hand, and is easy to operate. Therefore, the easy operation can cause the opening/closing lever 113 to abut against the toner cartridge 40 to surely maintain the state where the toner cartridge 40 is attached to the developing case 62 . Moreover, the opening/closing lever 113 is pushed by the first width-direction projections 145 to be placed at the third position. Hence, the attachment/detachment path X for the toner cartridge 40 is blocked. Also because of this reason, the relative forward movement of the toner cartridge 40 attached to the developing case 62 can be restricted.
- the opening/closing lever 113 can be swung from the third position shown in FIG. 11C to the second position where the lever abuts against the toner cartridge 40 attached to the developing case 62 as shown in FIG. 11D . Therefore, when the opening/closing lever 113 is at the second position, the state where the toner cartridge 40 is attached to the developing case 62 can be surely maintained by the simple operation in which the opening/closing lever 113 is simply swung.
- the toner cartridge 40 includes the outer case 41 in which the first toner discharging port 49 is formed, and the inner case 42 which is housed swingably with respect to the outer case 41 , which includes the inner peripheral wall 51 , in which the second toner discharging port 55 for supplying the toner to the first toner discharging port 49 is formed, and which houses the toner. Accordingly, the toner cartridge 40 can have a double structure which includes the outer case 41 and the inner case 42 .
- the inner case 42 includes the second width-direction projections 150 .
- the second width-direction projections 150 is pushed by the opening/closing lever 113 as shown in FIGS. 11C and 11D . Accordingly, the second width-direction projections 150 swing the inner case 42 as shown in FIG. 3 to cause the inner peripheral wall 51 to perform an operation of opening the inner peripheral wall 51 , thereby communicating the first toner discharging port 49 with the second toner discharging port 55 .
- the toner housed in the inner case 42 of the toner cartridge 40 can be supplied to the developing case 62 when the opening/closing lever 113 is swung from the third position to the second position.
- the grip portion 118 of the opening/closing lever 113 is adjacent to the toner cartridge-side gripping portion 91 of the toner cartridge 40 .
- the grip portion 118 and the toner cartridge-side gripping portion 91 can be gripped together. Therefore, the relative position between the developing case 62 in which the opening/closing lever 113 is disposed, and the toner cartridge 40 is stabilized. Accordingly, the process cartridge 20 can be moved in a stable state.
- the opening/closing lever 113 when the opening/closing lever 113 is swung from the third position to the first position, the toner cartridge 40 is moved from the position where the toner cartridge is attached to the developing case 62 , in the detaching direction as shown in FIGS. 11B and 11C . Accordingly, the toner cartridge 40 can be detached from the developing case 62 while maintaining the state where the communication between the first toner discharging port 49 and the toner introduction port 88 (see FIG. 10 ) is blocked, by the simple operation of swinging the opening/closing lever 113 from the third position to the first position. Furthermore, the first position can be set to a position where the operations of attaching and detaching the toner cartridge 40 are not obstructed. Therefore, the degree of freedom in design can be enhanced.
- the degree of freedom in design can be enhanced, and the toner can be prevented from leaking by the simple configuration and the easy operation.
- the state of attaching the toner cartridge 40 to the developing case 62 can be surely maintained by the easy operation.
- the opening/closing lever 113 When the opening/closing lever 113 is swung from the third position to the first position, the first width-direction projections 145 are pushed by the opening/closing lever 113 , whereby the toner cartridge 40 is moved from the position where the toner cartridge is attached to the developing case, in the detaching direction. Therefore, by simply providing the first width-direction projections 145 to the toner cartridge 40 , the toner cartridge 40 can be moved from the position where the toner cartridge is attached to the developing case 62 in the detaching direction when the opening/closing lever 113 is swung from the third position to the first position.
- the opening/closing lever 113 when the opening/closing lever 113 is at the second position, the state where the toner cartridge 40 is attached to the developing case 62 can be surely maintained by the simple operation in which the opening/closing lever 113 is simply swung. On the other hand, when the opening/closing lever 113 is at the third position, the maintenance of the attachment state is canceled, and the toner cartridge 40 can be attached to or detached from the developing case 62 .
- the first width-direction projections 145 are disposed on the inner case 42 .
- the first width-direction projections 145 swing the inner case 42 , whereby the inner peripheral wall 51 is close-operated to close the first toner discharging port 49 and block communication between first toner discharging port 49 and the second toner discharging port 55 .
- the supply of the toner housed in the inner case 42 of the toner cartridge 40 to the developing case 62 can be restricted when the opening/closing lever 113 is moved from the second position to the third position.
- the opening/closing lever 113 is swingably supported by the right and left side walls 69 , 70 whish are the both side walls of the developing case 62 in the longitudinal direction (width direction) of the developing roller 104 . Therefore, the lever can be stably swung.
- the toner cartridge 40 When the toner cartridge 40 is attached to and detached from the developing case 62 in the width direction, the toner cartridge 40 easily interferes with the opening/closing lever 113 supported by the right and left side walls 69 , 70 . Thus, it is difficult to perform smooth attachment and detachment of the toner cartridge 40 with respect to the developing case 62 .
- the toner cartridge 40 is attached to and detached from the developing case 62 in the direction perpendicular to the width direction.
- the opening/closing lever 113 is supported by the right and left side walls 69 , 70 , the toner cartridge 40 does not interfere with the opening/closing lever 113 , and smooth attachment and detachment of the toner cartridge 40 with respect to the developing case 62 can be ensured.
- the developing case 62 can be maintained to the state where the shutter 111 closes the toner introduction port 88 . Further, the toner cartridge 40 can be maintained to the state where the inner peripheral wall 51 closes the first toner discharging port 49 .
- the toner cartridge 40 is attachable to and detachable from the developing case 62 in the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction (width direction) of the developing roller 104 . Therefore, the first toner discharging port 49 and the toner introduction port 88 can be disposed so as to be opposed to the developing roller 104 as shown in FIG. 3 in the state where the toner cartridge 40 is attached to the developing case 62 . Therefore, the placement positions and sizes of the first opening and the second opening can be freely set. That is, the toner can be surely supplied from the toner cartridge 40 to the developing case 62 .
- the inner peripheral wall 51 is swingably supported by the both side walls (the outer side end walls 46 ) of the toner cartridge 40 .
- the first toner discharging port 49 can be stably opened and closed.
- an extra mechanism is not placed in the first toner discharging port 49 .
- the toner cartridge 40 and the developing case 62 can therefore be in close contact with each other. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the toner from leaking between the toner cartridge 40 and the developing case 62 .
- the toner introduction port 88 can be stably opened and closed.
- an extra mechanism is not placed in the toner introduction port 88 .
- a space is formed in a portion of the developing case 62 which is in the middle between the both side walls.
- the shutter 111 cannot be swung. Therefore, the toner introduction port 88 can be surely maintained in the closed state, and the toner can be prevented from leaking from the developing case 62 .
- the first width-direction projections 145 and the second width-direction projections 150 of the toner cartridge 40 are not engaged with the opening/closing lever 113 disposed on the developing case 62 as shown in FIG. 11A . Therefore, the swinging of the inner peripheral wall 51 provided to the toner cartridge 40 is restricted, and it is possible to prevent the first toner discharging port 49 from being accidentally opened.
- the first width-direction projections 145 and the second width-direction projections 150 are engaged with the opening/closing lever 113 as shown in FIGS. 11C and 11D . Therefore, in accordance with the operation of the opening/closing lever 113 , the swinging of the inner peripheral wall 51 by the first width-direction projections 145 and the second width-direction projections 150 , i.e., the opening/closing of the first toner discharging port 49 , and the swinging of the shutter 111 by the second radial projection 57 and the third radial projection 63 interlocked with the first width-direction projections 145 and the second width-direction projections 150 , i.e., the opening/closing of the toner introduction port 88 are enabled as shown in FIGS. 3 and 10 .
- the first toner discharging port 49 and the toner introduction port 88 communicate with each other so that the toner can be supplied from the toner cartridge 40 to the developing case 62 .
- the toner cartridge 40 can be detached from the developing case 62 without causing the toner to leak from the first toner discharging port 49 and the toner introduction port 88 as shown in FIG. 8 .
- the shutter 111 In a state where the toner cartridge 40 is detached from the developing case 62 , even when the opening/closing lever 113 is operated, the shutter 111 is not swung. Thus, the developing case 62 can be maintained to the state where the toner introduction port 88 is closed. As described above, in the toner cartridge 40 , the inner peripheral wall 51 is not swung. Thus, the toner cartridge is maintained to the state where the first toner discharging port 49 is closed.
- the toner can be prevented from leaking from the toner cartridge 40 and the process cartridge 20 , by the simple configuration.
- the above-described operations of opening and closing the first toner discharging port 49 and the toner introduction port 88 can be performed by the simple configuration in which the first width-direction projections 145 , the second width-direction projections 150 , the second radial projection 57 and the third radial projection 63 are disposed on the toner cartridge 40 as shown in FIG. 5 .
- the process cartridge 20 integrally includes the photosensitive drum 28 and the developing roller 104 , and the process cartridge 20 is detachably attached to the body casing 2 .
- the developing device may not include the photosensitive drum 28 , another unit having the photosensitive drum 28 may be disposed, and the developing device may be detachably attached to the unit.
- the first width-direction projections 145 and the second width-direction projections 150 may be formed as an integral member.
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Abstract
Description
- This application claims priority from Japanese Patent Applications No. 2007-019866 filed on Jan. 30, 2007 and No. 2007-019868 filed on Jan. 30, 2007, the entire subject matter of which is incorporated herein by reference.
- Aspects of the present invention relate to a developing device including a detachable toner cartridge for an image forming apparatus such as a laser printer.
- There has been proposed a developing device of a laser printer in which a toner cartridge is detachably attached to a developing case, and opening/closing operations of a first blocking member that closes a first opening of the toner cartridge are interlocked with those of a second blocking member that closes a second opening of the developing case in order to prevent a toner from unnecessarily leaking.
- JP-A-7-225514 discloses a developing device in which a case has a pair of right and left blankets, a second shutter is attached to an arm which is swingably disposed on boss portions of outer peripheries of support grooves of the blankets, and a first shutter is disposed on a lever which is swung about a support shaft of the toner cartridge. The support shaft of the toner cartridge is fitted into support grooves of the developing case. When the lever of the toner cartridge is swung in this state, an engaging projection disposed on the lever of the toner cartridge swings the arm of the developing case, thereby openingly/closingly swing the first shutter and the second shutter in an overlapping state.
- In such a configuration, when the lever is accidentally swung in a state where the toner cartridge is detached from the developing case, the first shutter is swung to open a toner discharging port, thereby causing the possibility that a toner in the toner cartridge may leak. Also in the developing case which is in a state where the toner cartridge is detached, when the arm is accidentally swung, the second shutter is swung to open a toner introducing port. Thus, a toner may be leaked from a stirring chamber.
- Thus, in the toner cartridge disclosed by JP-A-7-225514, when the toner cartridge is detached from the developing device, the first shutter is maintained to close the toner discharging port by a first locking mechanism. In the developing device, the second shutter is maintained to close the toner introducing port by a second locking mechanism. Therefore, if the toner cartridge is detached from the developing device, the first locking mechanism and the second locking mechanism prevent the first shutter and the second shutter from being accidentally swung to cause the toner to leak from the interior of the toner cartridge and the stirring chamber of the developing device.
- However, each of the first locking mechanism and the second locking mechanism disclosed in JP-A-7-225514 is configured by a locking member and a screw. Further, the first locking mechanism and the second locking mechanism are configured separately from the first or second shutter. In order to respectively attach the locking mechanisms to the first shutter and the second shutter, a push pin and an engaging hole must be formed in each of the first shutter and the second shutter. Thus, structure of the toner cartridge and the developing case may be complicated.
- Aspects of the invention provide a developing device which can enhance degree of freedom in design and prevent developer from leaking by a simple structure and an easy operation.
-
FIG. 1 is an exemplary side sectional view of a laser printer which is an example of the image forming apparatus; -
FIG. 2 is an exemplary right side perspective view of a process cartridge in the laser printer shown inFIG. 1 , as viewed from a front upper side; -
FIG. 3 is an exemplary left side sectional view of the process cartridge ofFIG. 2 ; -
FIG. 4A is a schematic view of the process cartridge showing a state where an opening/closing lever is at an abutting position inFIG. 2 ,FIG. 4B is a schematic view showing a state where the opening/closing lever is at a canceling position inFIG. 4A , andFIG. 4C is a schematic view showing a state where the opening/closing lever is at a detaching position inFIG. 4A ; -
FIG. 5A is an exemplary left side perspective view of the toner cartridge of the process cartridge as viewed from a rear upper side, and showing a state where a toner discharging port is opened,FIG. 5B is an exemplary left side perspective view showing a state where the toner discharging port is closed inFIG. 5A , andFIG. 5C is an exemplary left side perspective view of an inner case of the toner cartridge shown inFIG. 5A as viewed from the rear upper side; -
FIG. 6 is an exemplary view showing a state where the toner cartridge is detached and the opening/closing lever is at a first position inFIG. 2 , together with the detached toner cartridge; -
FIG. 7 is an exemplary view showing a state where the opening/closing lever is at a third position inFIG. 2 ; -
FIG. 8 is an exemplary left side sectional view of the process cartridge ofFIG. 6 ; -
FIG. 9 is an exemplary left side sectional view of the process cartridge ofFIG. 7 and showing a state where a state where a swinging portion is in a second state; -
FIG. 10 is an exemplary left side sectional view of the process cartridge ofFIG. 7 and showing a state where the swinging portion is in a third state; and -
FIGS. 11A to 11D are schematic views of the process cartridge showing manners of attaching and detaching the toner cartridge, in whichFIG. 11A shows a manner in which the toner cartridge is detached, and the opening/closing lever is at the first position,FIG. 11B shows a manner in which the toner cartridge is shifted from the attachment position in the detaching direction, and the opening/closing lever is at the first position,FIG. 11C shows a manner in which the toner cartridge is at the attachment position, and the opening/closing lever is at the third position, andFIG. 11D shows a manner in which the toner cartridge is at the attachment position, and the opening/closing lever is at a second position. - According to an aspect of the invention, there is provided a developing device including: a developer carrier that carries developer; a developing case that supports the developer carrier; and a toner cartridge that houses the developer and is attachable to and detachable from the developing case, wherein the toner cartridge includes: a toner case including a first opening for supplying the developer to the developing case; and a first blocking member that opens and closes the first opening, wherein the developing case includes: a second opening for receiving the developer supplied from the first opening; a second blocking member that opens and closes the second opening; and an opening/closing member that is swingably disposed on the developing case and opens and closes the first blocking member and the second blocking member, wherein the opening/closing member is swingable among predetermined positions, the predetermined positions including: a first position where the toner cartridge is detached from the developing case and the second opening is closed; a second position where the toner cartridge is attached to the developing case and the first opening and the second opening are opened to communicate with each other; and a third position where the toner cartridge is attached to the developing case and the first opening and the second opening are closed to block communication between the first opening and the second opening, the third position being between the first position and the second position, and wherein the opening/closing member swings from the first position to the third position in accordance with attachment of the toner cartridge to the developing case.
- According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a developing device including: a developer carrier that carries developer; a developing case that supports the developer carrier; and a toner cartridge that houses the developer and is attachable to and detachable from the developing case, wherein the toner cartridge includes: a toner case including a first opening for supplying the developer to the developing case; and a first blocking member that opens and closes the first opening, wherein the developing case includes: a second opening for receiving the developer supplied from the first opening; a second blocking member that opens and closes the second opening; and an opening/closing member that is swingably disposed on the developing case and opens and closes the first blocking member and the second blocking member, wherein the opening/closing member is swingable among predetermined positions, the predetermined positions including: a first position where the toner cartridge is detached from the developing case and the second opening is closed; a second position where the toner cartridge is attached to the developing case and the first opening and the second opening are opened to communicate with each other; and a third position where the toner cartridge is attached to the developing case and the first opening and the second opening are closed to block communication between the first opening and the second opening, the third position being between the first position and the second position, and wherein the opening/closing member moves the toner cartridge from an attaching position to the developing case in a detaching direction of the toner cartridge in accordance with swinging of the opening/closing member from the first position to the third position.
- Illustrative aspects of the invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
-
FIG. 1 is an exemplary side sectional view showing a laser printer which is an example of the image forming apparatus of the invention. - As shown in
FIG. 1 , thelaser printer 1 includes abody casing 2, afeeder portion 4 which feeds asheet 3 housed in thebody casing 2 and animage forming unit 5 which forms an image on the fedsheet 3. Thebody casing 2 is an example of the body of the image forming apparatus. - (1) Body Casing
- In one side wall of the
body casing 2, anaccess port 6 is formed through which aprocess cartridge 20 is passed during operations of attaching and detaching theprocess cartridge 20. Afront cover 7 which openably covers theaccess port 6 is disposed. Theprocess cartridge 20 is an example of a developing device (described later). - In the following description, the side where the
front cover 7 is disposed in a state where theprocess cartridge 20 is attached to thebody casing 2 is referred to as the front side (front face side), and the opposite side is referred to as the rear side (back face side). The front side in a thickness direction of the paper sheet ofFIG. 1 is referred to as the left side, and the back side in the thickness direction of the paper sheet ofFIG. 1 is referred to as the right side. The right and left direction may be referred to as a width direction. - The
front cover 7 is swingably supported by acover shaft 8, which is disposed in a lower end portion of thefront cover 7. When thefront cover 7 is closed with setting thecover shaft 8 as a fulcrum, theaccess port 6 is covered by thefront cover 7. When thefront cover 7 is opened with setting thecover shaft 8 as a fulcrum, theaccess port 6 is opened. Accordingly, theprocess cartridge 20 can be attached to and detached from thebody casing 2 through theaccess port 6. - (2) Feeder Portion
- The
feeder portion 4 is disposed in a bottom portion of thebody casing 2. Thefeeder portion 4 includes asheet feed tray 9, a separating roller 10, aseparation pad 11, asheet feed roller 12, a paper dust removing roller 13, apinch roller 14 and a registeringroller 15. - The
sheet feed tray 9 includes asheet press plate 16 therein and alever 17 in a front portion thereof. A front portion of thesheet press plate 16 is raised by thelever 17. -
Sheets 3 stacked on thesheet press plate 16 is conveyed to a separation position between the separating roller 10 and theseparation pad 11 by rotation of thesheet feed roller 12, separated one by one at the separation position, and passed between the paper dust removing roller 13 and thepinch roller 14 to be conveyed toward the registeringroller 15. - The
sheet 3 conveyed to the registeringroller 15 is further conveyed to a transferring position between aphotosensitive drum 28, which is an example of a photosensitive member (described later), and atransfer roller 31. - (3) Image Forming Unit
- The
image forming unit 5 includes ascanner portion 19, aprocess cartridge 20 and a fixingportion 21. - (a) Scanner Portion
- The
scanner portion 19 is disposed in an upper portion of thebody casing 2. Thescanner portion 19 includes a laser light source (not shown), a polygon mirror 22 that is rotatingly driven, anfθ lens 23, a reflectingmirror 24, alens 25 and a reflectingmirror 26. As indicated by a chain line, a laser beam which is emitted from the laser light source on the basis of image data is deflected by the polygon mirror 22, and passed through thefθ lens 23, and the optical path is folded back by the reflectingmirror 24. The laser beam is passed through thelens 25, and the optical path is further downward folded back by the reflectingmirror 26, whereby the laser beam irradiates the surface of thephotosensitive drum 28 of theprocess cartridge 20. - (b) Process Cartridge
-
FIG. 2 is an exemplary right side perspective view of the process cartridge in the laser printer shown inFIG. 1 , as viewed from the front upper side.FIG. 3 is an exemplary left side sectional view of the process cartridge ofFIG. 2 . -
FIG. 4A is a schematic view of the process cartridge showing a state where a toner cartridge is removed away from the process cartridge inFIG. 2 , and an opening/closing lever is at an abutting position to open a toner introduction port.FIG. 4B is a schematic view showing a state where the opening/closing lever is at a canceling position to close the toner introduction port inFIG. 4A .FIG. 4C is a view showing a state where, inFIG. 4A , the opening/closing lever is at a detaching position to close the toner introduction port. -
FIG. 5A is an exemplary left side perspective view of the toner cartridge of the process cartridge shown inFIG. 2 , as viewed from the rear upper side, and showing a state where a toner discharging port is opened.FIG. 5B is an exemplary left side perspective view showing a state where, inFIG. 5A , the toner discharging port is closed.FIG. 5C is an exemplary left side perspective view of an inner case of the toner cartridge shown inFIG. 5A , as viewed from the rear upper side. -
FIG. 6 shows a state where the toner cartridge is detached and the opening/closing lever is at the canceling position inFIG. 2 , together with the detached toner cartridge.FIG. 7 shows a state where the opening/closing lever is at the canceling position inFIG. 2 . -
FIG. 8 is an exemplary left side sectional view of the process cartridge ofFIG. 6 .FIG. 9 is an exemplary left side sectional view of the process cartridge ofFIG. 7 and showing a state where a swinging portion is in a second state.FIG. 10 is an exemplary left side sectional view of the process cartridge ofFIG. 7 and showing a state where the swinging portion is in a third state.FIGS. 11A to 11D are schematic views of main portions of the process cartridge showing manners of attaching and detaching the toner cartridge and showing the vicinities of the opening/closing lever, and first width-direction projection and second width-direction projection.FIG. 11A shows a manner in which the toner cartridge is detached, and the opening/closing lever is at a first position.FIG. 11B shows a manner in which the toner cartridge is shifted from the attachment position in the detaching direction, and the opening/closing lever is at the first position.FIG. 11C shows a manner in which the toner cartridge is at the attachment position, and the opening/closing lever is at a third position.FIG. 11D shows a manner in which the toner cartridge is at the attachment position, and the opening/closing lever is at a second position. - As shown in
FIG. 1 , theprocess cartridge 20 is disposed below thescanner portion 19 in thebody casing 2. Theprocess cartridge 20 is detachably attached to thebody casing 2 through theaccess port 6. As indicated by the thick arrow in the figure, directions of attaching/detaching theprocess cartridge 20 with respect to thebody casing 2 are a rearward and obliquely downward direction (attaching direction) and a forward and obliquely upward direction (detaching direction). - As shown in
FIG. 2 , theprocess cartridge 20 includes a developingcase 62 and atoner cartridge 40. Thetoner cartridge 40 is detachably attached to the developingcase 62. As shown inFIG. 3 , theprocess cartridge 20 further includes, in the developingcase 62, thephotosensitive drum 28, ascorotron charging device 29, thetransfer roller 31, a supplyingroller 101, a developingroller 104 and a layer-thickness restricting blade 107. The developingroller 104 is an example of a developer carrier. - (b-1) Developing Case
- As shown in
FIG. 2 , aright side wall 69, aleft side wall 70, abottom wall 75, arear side wall 77, atop wall 115 and a front side wall 64 (seeFIG. 3 ) are integrally formed in the developingcase 62. - The
right side wall 69 and theleft side wall 70 are opposed to each other in the width direction with forming a space therebetween. In each of the right and leftside walls first passage hole 70 which is passed through the right orleft side wall - The
rear side wall 77 extends between the rear edges of the right and leftside walls - The
top wall 115 extends between the rear upper edges of the right and leftside walls top wall 115 do not extend between the front upper edges of the right and leftside walls case 62. Alaser entrance hole 78 which allows the laser beam from thescanner portion 19 to be incident on thephotosensitive drum 28 is formed in an intermediate portion in the forward and rearward direction of thetop wall 115. - The
front side wall 64 extends between the right and leftside walls FIG. 3 , thefront side wall 64 integrally includes avertical wall 120 and abent wall 121. Thevertical wall 120 extends upward from an intermediate portion in the forward and rearward direction of thebottom wall 75. Thebent wall 121 is bent rearward from the upper edge of thevertical wall 120 and is again bent to upward extend to be connected to an intermediate portion in the forward and rearward direction of thetop wall 115. Thevertical wall 120 is formed such that the portion extending from the portion connected to thebottom wall 75 to an intermediate portion has a substantially inferior arc shape. - The
bottom wall 75 extends between the lower edges of the right and leftside walls bottom wall 75 integrally includes a firstbottom wall portion 160 that is connected to thevertical wall 120 and a secondbottom wall portion 123 that forward extends from the front edge of the firstbottom wall portion 160. The firstbottom wall portion 160 is formed such that a side section exhibits a substantially inferior arc shape, and the front edge of the portion is connected to the rear edge of the secondbottom wall portion 123. The secondbottom wall portion 123 has a substantially L-like side sectional shape that forward extends from the rear edge and is bent to extend upward. In a middle portion in the width direction of a front and upper end portion of the secondbottom wall portion 123, an engagedportion 124 is integrally formed in a substantially middle portion in the width direction of a front and upper end portion of the secondbottom wall portion 123. The engagedportion 124 has a substantially hook-like sectional shape in a side view which is bent at the upper edge of the second bottom wall portion and slightly extends forward. - Hereinafter, the substantially inferior arc portion of the
vertical wall 120 and the firstbottom wall portion 160 may be collectively referred to as a curved wall 122 (seeFIG. 3 ). - As shown in
FIG. 4A , asquare column 89 is integrally formed on a width-direction inner side face of each of the right and leftside walls vertical wall 120. Thesquare column 89 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape which is vertically elongated. Aguide groove 119 in which a front end face is rearward recessed is formed in an upper end portion of the square column. Arib 90 is integrally formed on a width-direction inner side face of thesquare column 89 and below theguide groove 119. Therib 90 is projected to the inner side of the width direction such that a side sectional shape exhibits a substantially inferior arc shape. As shown inFIG. 8 , the rib is placed so as to substantially extend along thecurved wall 122 while forming a small gap in a radial direction with respect to thecurved wall 122. - In the developing
case 62, a portion defined by theright side wall 69, theleft side wall 70, thefront side wall 64, the firstbottom wall portion 160 and the secondbottom wall portion 123 of thebottom wall 75 is configured as a tonercartridge housing chamber 71 for housing thetoner cartridge 40. The tonercartridge housing chamber 71 has a substantially bottomed frame-like shape in which the upper and front sides are opened. - The
toner introduction port 88 is formed at the middle position in the width direction of thevertical wall 120. Thetoner introduction port 88 is an example of a second opening that penetrates through thevertical wall 120 in the thickness direction. Thetoner introduction port 88 has a substantially rectangular shape which is elongated in the width direction. Thetoner introduction port 88 causes the tonercartridge housing chamber 71 to communicate with a developingchamber 72. The developingchamber 72 is a portion defined by theright side wall 69, theleft side wall 70, thefront side wall 64 and thephotosensitive drum 28. - The
photosensitive drum 28 is rotatably supported between the right and leftside walls - The
scorotron charging device 29 is supported by thetop wall 115 on an obliquely upper rear side of thephotosensitive drum 28. Thescorotron charging device 29 is disposed so as to oppose to thephotosensitive drum 28 with forming a gap so as not to be contacted therewith. - The
transfer roller 31 is disposed below thephotosensitive drum 28. Thetransfer roller 31 is placed so as to be vertically opposed to and contacted with thephotosensitive drum 28 to form a nip between the roller and thephotosensitive drum 28. The nip functions as the transferring position between thephotosensitive drum 28 and thetransfer roller 31. Thetransfer roller 31 is rotatably supported between the right and leftside walls - The supplying
roller 101 is placed in rear of and obliquely below thetoner introduction port 88. The supplyingroller 101 is rotatably supported between the right and leftside walls - The developing
roller 104 is elongated in the width direction. The developingroller 104 is placed in rear of and obliquely above the supplyingroller 101 in a state where the developing roller is contacted with the supplyingroller 101 so as to be mutually compressed. The developingroller 104 is rotatably supported between the right and leftside walls roller 104 is placed in front of thephotosensitive drum 28 so as to be opposingly contacted therewith. - The layer-
thickness restricting blade 107 is configured by a plate spring member and includes apressing portion 148 having a substantially semicircular section shape, in a free end portion. A basal end portion of the layer-thickness restricting blade 107 is supported above the developingroller 104 by the developingcase 62 in order to press contact thepressing portion 148 onto the developingroller 104 by the elastic force of the layer-thickness restricting blade 107. - (b-2) Shutter
- The toner
cartridge housing chamber 71 includes ashutter 111. Theshutter 111 is an example of a second blocking member. - The
shutter 111 is a thin plate formed as an inferior arc in which the peripheral length is slightly shorter than thecurved wall 122, in a side sectional view. As shown inFIG. 4B , a throughhole 112 is formed at the middle position in the width direction of the upper half of theshutter 111. The throughhole 112 has a substantially rectangular shape in a front view and penetrates through theshutter 111 in the width direction.Cutaway portions 136, which are cut away in a substantially L-like shape in a front view, are formed in upper and lower end portions of both end portions in the width direction of theshutter 111, respectively. In the upper end portion of theshutter 111, engagedportions 139 which are to be engaged respectively with secondradial projections 57 of thetoner cartridge 40 in a state where thetoner cartridge 40 is attached to theprocess cartridge 20 are disposed in inner sides in the width direction with respect to thecutaway portions 136, respectively. - As shown in
FIG. 8 , inside the tonercartridge housing chamber 71, both width-direction end portions of theshutter 111 are interposed between thecurved wall 122 and theribs 90 of thesquare column 89, whereby theshutter 111 is swingably supported along the side section shapes of theribs 90 between the right and leftside walls - The
shutter 111 is swingable between a development closing position (seeFIG. 8 ) where thetoner introduction port 88 is closed by a portion of theshutter 111 in which the throughhole 112 is not formed, i.e., in the closed state of thetoner introduction port 88, and a development opening position (seeFIG. 3 ) where the throughhole 112 is opposed to thetoner introduction port 88, thereby forward opening thetoner introduction port 88. In a state where thetoner cartridge 40 which will be described later is detached from the developingcase 62, theshutter 111 is at the development closing position, and its swinging operation is restricted. - A
seal member 125 is interposed between thecurved wall 122 and theshutter 111. Theseal member 125 made of felt or the like and having a substantially sheet-like shape is applied to the front side face of thecurved wall 122 so as not to close thetoner introduction port 88. - (b-3) Opening/Closing Lever
- The toner
cartridge housing chamber 71 includes the opening/closing lever 113. The opening/closing lever 113 is an example of an abutting member. - As shown in
FIG. 4A , the opening/closing lever 113 has a substantially U-like shape in a plan view. Aright supporting portion 108, aleft supporting portion 109 and alever gripping portion 110 are integrally formed in the opening/closing lever 113. - The right and left supporting
portions circular hole 114 penetrating through the right or left supportingportion portions - In the outer side face in the width direction of each of the right and left supporting
portions support cylinder 135 which has the same inner diameter as thecircular hole 114, and which is projected to the outside in the width direction is supported at a position corresponding to thecircular hole 114. The outer diameter of thesupport cylinder 135 is slightly smaller than the inner diameter of a first throughhole 97 formed in each of the right and leftside walls - A receiving
portion 117 in which the upper edge is recessed toward thecircular hole 114 in a substantially U-like shape in a side view is formed in a portion which is above thecircular hole 114 of each of the right and left supportingportions portions portion 117, i.e., that behind the receivingportion 117 is referred to as arear portion 151, and that forming the front edge of the receivingportion 117, i.e., that before the receivingportion 117 is referred to as afront portion 152. The circle center of thecircular hole 114 is positioned between the rear andfront portions front portions 151, 152 (the forward and rearward direction inFIG. 4A ). - The
lever gripping portion 110 is formed as a thin plate which has a substantially rectangular shape which is stretched between front end portions of the right and left supportingportions grip portion 118 which is an example of a first gripping portion, and in which the lower edge is upward recessed is formed at the middle position in the width direction of the lever gripping portion. In thelever gripping portion 110, abuttingprojections 141 which are projected toward the respectivecircular holes 114, and which have a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape are formed in both wide-direction end portions of the side faces on the sides of thecircular holes 114, respectively. - As shown in
FIG. 4A , thesupport cylinders 135 of the right and left supportingportions holes 97 of the right and leftside walls closing lever 113 is supported by the right and leftside walls circular holes 114. The opening/closing lever 113 is swingable among the first position (seeFIGS. 4C , 6, and 8, andFIGS. 11A and 11B ) where the lever is deviated from an attachment/detachment path X of thetoner cartridge 40 with respect to the developingcase 62, the third position (seeFIGS. 4B , 7, 9, and 10, andFIG. 11C ) where the lever interferes with the attachment/detachment path X, and the second position (seeFIGS. 2 , 3, and 4A, andFIG. 11D ). When the opening/closing lever 113 is at the first position, thelever gripping portion 110 is at the lowest position of the swinging range of the opening/closing lever 113, and below the attachment/detachment path X (seeFIG. 8 ). When the opening/closing lever 113 is at the third position, thelever gripping portion 110 is at an intermediate position of the swinging range of the opening/closing lever 113, specifically, at a position which is higher in level than that in the case where the opening/closing lever 113 is at the first position, and an intermediate position of the attachment/detachment path X (seeFIG. 9 ). When the opening/closing lever 113 is at the second position, thelever gripping portion 110 is at the highest position of the swinging range of the opening/closing lever 113, specifically, at a position which is higher in level than that in the case where the opening/closing lever 113 is at the third position, and an intermediate position of the attachment/detachment path X (seeFIG. 3 ). While setting the right and left supportingportions closing lever 113 is at the second position, the right and left supportingportions FIG. 11D ). When the opening/closing lever 113 is at the third position, the right and left supportingportions FIG. 11C ). When the opening/closing lever 113 is at the first position, the right and left supportingportions closing lever 113 is at the third position (seeFIGS. 11A and 11B ). In this way, the third position is between the second and first positions. If thetoner cartridge 40 is not attached to the developing case 62 (i.e., the cartridge is detached from the case), the opening/closing lever 113 is located at the first position by its own weight, and the receivingportions 117 are exposed to the front side (seeFIG. 11A ). - Irrespective of the position of the opening/
closing lever 113, as shown inFIG. 3 , thegrip portion 118 is always exposed to the outside from the tonercartridge housing chamber 71 in a side view. - (b-4) Toner Cartridge
- As described above, the
toner cartridge 40 is detachably attached to the tonercartridge housing chamber 71 of the developingcase 62. When theprocess cartridge 20 to which thetoner cartridge 40 is attached is attached to or detached from thebody casing 2 through theaccess port 6, thetoner cartridge 40 can be attached to or detached from thebody casing 2. If theprocess cartridge 20 is attached to thebody casing 2, thetoner cartridge 40 can be attached to or detached from the developingcase 62. That is, thetoner cartridge 40 alone can be attached to or detached from thebody casing 2. The attaching/detaching direction of thetoner cartridge 40 with respect to the developingcase 62 of theprocess cartridge 20 is the rearward and obliquely downward direction (attaching direction) and forward and obliquely upward direction (detaching direction) which are near horizontal. The attachment/detachment path X is indicated inFIGS. 3 , 8, 9, and 11A to 11D. A direction perpendicular to the attaching/detaching direction of thetoner cartridge 40 with respect to the developingcase 62 is the width direction. - The toner
cartridge housing chamber 71 is positioned in front of theprocess cartridge 20. Therefore, when thefront cover 7 is opened to open theaccess port 6, thetoner cartridge 40 is exposed from theaccess port 6 as shown inFIG. 1 . - As shown in
FIG. 3 , thetoner cartridge 40 includes anouter case 41 and aninner case 42 which have a substantially σ-like shape in a left side sectional view and are made of a resin or the like. Theouter case 41 and theinner case 42 are an example of a toner case. - (b-4-i) Outer Case
- The
outer case 41 has a substantially σ-like shape in a left side sectional view similar to that of thetoner cartridge 40, and integrally includes acylinder portion 43 and aguide lever 44. - As shown 5A, the
cylinder portion 43 is formed as a hollow cylindrical member which is elongated in the width direction, and which has a substantially rectangular shape in a side view, and includes an outerperipheral wall 45, and a pair of outerside end walls 46 formed as both width-direction end faces of the outerperipheral wall 45. - A first
toner discharging port 49 which is an example of a first opening that penetrates through the outerperipheral wall 45 in the thickness direction is formed at the middle position in the vertical and lateral directions of the rear side face of the outerperipheral wall 45. The firsttoner discharging port 49 is formed into a rectangular shape which is elongated in the width direction. - An
upper guide groove 129 which penetrates through the outerperipheral wall 45 in the thickness direction is formed in each of width-direction end portions of the rear side face of the outerperipheral wall 45, at a level higher than the firsttoner discharging port 49. Alower guide groove 130 which penetrates through the outerperipheral wall 45 in the thickness direction is formed in each of width-direction end portions of the outerperipheral wall 45, at a level lower than the firsttoner discharging port 49. The upper andlower guide grooves toner discharging port 49, and their axial lengths are about one half of the circumferential length of the firsttoner discharging port 49. - As shown in
FIG. 6 , aprojection exposing hole 149 is formed at a substantially middle in the width direction of the front side face of the outerperipheral wall 45. Theprojection exposing hole 149 is formed into a rectangular shape, and penetrates through the outerperipheral wall 45 in the thickness direction. -
Abutted members 142 are disposed in both width-direction end portions of a lower portion of the front side face of the outerperipheral wall 45. Each of the abuttedmembers 142 is formed into a substantially arcuate shape in a left side view in which the member is forward projected from the front side face of the outerperipheral wall 45. The dimension of the member in the width direction is approximately equal to the width of the abuttingprojection 141 of the opening/closing lever 113. - As shown in
FIG. 5A , a second throughhole 126 which penetrates through each of the outerside end walls 46 in the width direction is formed at a substantially middle position in the vertical and lateral directions of each of the outerside end walls 46. In each of the outerside end walls 46, a throughgroove 127 is formed on the radially outer side of the second throughhole 126, specifically, in a range from the 12 o'clock position to the 2 o'clock position in a left side view. The throughgrooves 127 have an inferior arc shape which is concentric with the second throughhole 126, and penetrate in the width direction through the respective outerside end walls 46. -
Positioning projections 131 are integrally formed on the outerside end walls 46, respectively. Each of the positioning projections rearward extends at a position corresponding to the upper edge of theupper guide groove 129, and is bent to be projected to the outside in the width direction. In thepositioning projection 131, the portion which is projected to the outside in the width direction is formed into a columnar shape having an outer diameter which is smaller than the width of the guide groove 119 (seeFIG. 4A ) of theprocess cartridge 20. - The
guide lever 44 is placed on an upper end portion of the front side face of the outerperipheral wall 45 and at the middle position in the width direction. As shown inFIG. 6 , includes a toner cartridge-side gripping portion 91 which is an example of a second gripping portion, and the swingingportion 92. - The toner cartridge-
side gripping portion 91 is formed into a substantially rectangular shape in a plan view which is elongated in the width direction. As shown inFIG. 8 , a rear end portion of the gripping portion is fixed to the outerperipheral wall 45. - The swinging
portion 92 is formed into a substantially rectangular shape in a plan view and a substantially T-like shape in a side sectional view, and integrally includes agrip 93, a first restrictingportion 94, and a second restrictingportion 95. - The
grip 93 and the second restrictingportion 95 are formed into a substantially rectangular shape in a plan view. - The first restricting
portion 94 is formed into a substantially rectangular shape in a front view and a substantially J-like shape in a lift side sectional view. In a lower end portion of the first restricting portion, a firstengaging portion 132 and a secondengaging portion 133 are sequentially formed with starting from the upper side. The firstengaging portion 132 is formed as a groove which is elongated in the width direction, in order to allow the rear side face of a lower portion of the first restrictingportion 94 to be recessed toward the front side. The secondengaging portion 133 is formed into a hook-like sectional shape in a left side sectional view in which the lower most end portion of the first restrictingportion 94 is slightly bent toward the rear side below the first engagingportion 132. - A rear end portion of the
grip 93, an upper end portion of the first restrictingportion 94, and a front end portion of the second restrictingportion 95 are connected to one another. A shaft throughhole 96 which penetrates through thegrip 93 and the first restrictingportion 94 in the width direction is formed at a position where the rear end portion of thegrip 93 is connected to the upper end portion of the first restrictingportion 94. - The front side face of the outer
peripheral wall 45 integrally includes a pair ofshaft supporting portions 98 which are forward projected so as to sandwich thegrip 93 of the swingingportion 92 in the width direction. A throughshaft 37 which is stretched between the pair ofshaft supporting portions 98 is passed through the shaft throughhole 96 of the swingingportion 92, whereby the swingingportion 92 is swingably supported by the outerperipheral wall 45. - A rear end portion of the toner cartridge-
side gripping portion 91 is coupled to the second restrictingportion 95 of the swingingportion 92 by anelastic member 128. Specifically, theelastic member 128 is configured by a plate spring member or the like, one end portion of the member is screwed to the rear end portion of the toner cartridge-side gripping portion 91 by ascrew 134, and the other end portion is engaged with the second restrictingportion 95. Therefore, the swingingportion 92 is always urged in a clockwise direction in the figure about the throughshaft 37 by an urging force of theelastic member 128 so that the second restrictingportion 95 approaches the toner cartridge-side gripping portion 91. - (b-4-ii) Inner Case
- As shown in
FIG. 5C , theinner case 42 is formed into a hollow cylindrical shape which is elongated in the width direction, and which is smaller than thecylinder portion 43 of theouter case 41, and integrally includes: a cylindrical innerperipheral wall 51 which is an example of a first blocking member; and a pair of innerside end walls 52 which have a flat disk like shape, and which close the both width-direction side faces of the innerperipheral wall 51. As shown inFIG. 3 , anagitator rotation shaft 53 is stretched between the centers of the innerside end walls 52 which are opposed to each other in the width direction. Theagitator rotation shaft 53 is rotatably supported by the innerside end walls 52. As shown inFIG. 3 , anagitator 56 is disposed on theagitator rotation shaft 53. - As shown in
FIG. 5C , both width-direction end portions of theagitator rotation shaft 53 are projected to the outside in the width direction from the innerside end walls 52, respectively.Collars 100 having an outer diameter which is slightly smaller than the diameter of the second through hole 126 (seeFIG. 5A ) of theouter case 41 are externally fitted to the projected portions of theagitator rotation shaft 53, respectively. - In the inner
side end walls 52, at positions which are on the radially outer side with respect to theagitator rotation shaft 53, and which are opposed to each other in the width direction, the first width-direction projections 145 which are an example of a first projecting portion, and the second width-direction projections 150 which are an example of a second projecting portion are respectively disposed. - The first width-
direction projections 145 and the second width-direction projection 150 are formed into a columnar shape projected from the corresponding innerside end wall 52. Specifically, the radial directions of the first width-direction projections 145 and the second width-direction projection 150 are slightly smaller than the width of the throughgroove 127, and the projections are placed on the innerside end wall 52 while forming a gap therebetween in the circumferential direction of the innerperipheral wall 51. The gap is about one half of the circumferential length of the throughgroove 127 of theouter case 41. While settingFIG. 5C as a reference, the first width-direction projections 145 are located more rearward than the second width-direction projections 150. The first width-direction projections 145 of the innerside end walls 52 are opposed to each other in the width direction, and the second width-direction projections 150 of the innerside end walls 52 are opposed to each other in the width direction. - A second
toner discharging port 55 which is an example of a third opening that penetrates through the innerperipheral wall 51 in the thickness direction is formed in one place on the circumference in the middle of the width direction of the innerperipheral wall 51, specifically, at a position which is shifted by about 90° in a counterclockwise direction with respect to the first width-direction projections 145 and the second width-direction projection 150. As viewed from the outer side in a radial direction, the secondtoner discharging port 55 is formed in a rectangular shape in which the dimensions are substantially identical with those of the firsttoner discharging port 49 of theouter case 41. The first width-direction projections 145 are positioned more closely to the secondtoner discharging port 55 than the second width-direction projections 150. - A first
radial projection 48 which extends along the periphery of the secondtoner discharging port 55, and which is projected to the radially outer side is disposed on the innerperipheral wall 51. The firstradial projection 48 has a rectangular frame-like shape as viewed from the outer side in a radial direction, and is formed by an elastic material such as rubber or a sponge sheet. - In both width-direction end portions of the inner
peripheral wall 51, the secondradial projections 57 which are an example of a second projection projected to the radially outer side are integrally disposed at positions which are slightly above the upper edge of the firstradial projection 48, respectively. In the both width-direction end portions of the innerperipheral wall 51, thirdradial projections 63 which are an example of the second projection projected to the radially outer side are integrally disposed at positions which are below the lower edge of the firstradial projection 48, respectively. The secondradial projection 57 and the thirdradial projection 63 are formed in the same dimensions, and their lengths in the width direction are set so as to be smaller than the widths of the upper andlower guide grooves outer case 41. - As shown in
FIG. 3 , a fourthradial projection 99 which is projected to the radially outer side, and which is elongated in the width direction is formed in a position of the innerperipheral wall 51 which is opposite to the secondtoner discharging port 55 about the axial center of theinner case 42. The length in the width direction of the fourthradial projection 99 is set to be smaller than that of theprojection exposing hole 149 of theouter case 41. - (b-4-iii) Installation of Inner Case into Outer Case
- In the
toner cartridge 40, theinner case 42 is housed in theouter case 41. As shown inFIG. 5A , the width-direction end portions of theagitator rotation shaft 53 of theinner case 42 are internally fitted together with thecollars 100 into the second throughholes 126 of theouter case 41, respectively. The first width-direction projections 145 and the second width-direction projection 150 of theinner case 42 are projected from the throughgrooves 127 of theouter case 41 toward the radially outer side of theinner case 42. The secondradial projections 57 of theinner case 42 are projected from theupper guide grooves 129 of theouter case 41 toward the radially outer side of theinner case 42, and the thirdradial projections 63 of theinner case 42 are projected from thelower guide grooves 130 of theouter case 41 toward the radially outer side of theinner case 42. Furthermore, the fourthradial projection 99 of theinner case 42 is exposed into theprojection exposing hole 149 of the outer case 41 (seeFIG. 8 ). - Therefore, the
inner case 42 is installed into theouter case 41, and theinner case 42 is swingably supported by the outerside end walls 46 of theouter case 41. Accordingly, the first width-direction projections 145 and the second width-direction projection 150 are slidable along the throughgrooves 127, the secondradial projections 57 are slidable along theupper guide grooves 129, and the thirdradial projections 63 are slidable along thelower guide grooves 130. - When the assembled
toner cartridge 40 is not attached to theprocess cartridge 20 as shown inFIG. 8 , the first engagingportion 132 of the first restrictingportion 94 of theouter case 41 is engaged with the fourthradial projection 99 of theinner case 42, whereby swinging of theinner case 42 with respect to theouter case 41 is restricted. The state of the swingingportion 92 at this time is referred to as the first state. - In the above-described first state, when the toner cartridge-
side gripping portion 91 and the swingingportion 92 are gripped simultaneously, the swingingportion 92 is swung in a counterclockwise direction in the figure about the throughshaft 37 against the urging force of theelastic member 128. After an elapse of a short time period from the simultaneous gripping of the toner cartridge-side gripping portion 91 and the swingingportion 92, the swinging of the swingingportion 92 stops. The state of the swingingportion 92 at this time is referred to as the second state. - In the second state, as shown in
FIG. 9 , the above-described firstengaging portion 132 of the first restrictingportion 94 is separated from the fourthradial projection 99 of theinner case 42, and the engagement between the first engagingportion 132 and the fourthradial projection 99 is canceled. However, the rear end portion of the second restrictingportion 95 abuts against the innerperipheral wall 51 of theinner case 42. Hence, the swinging of theinner case 42 with respect to theouter case 41 is restricted. - Therefore, when the swinging
portion 92 is in the third state which is between the first state and the second state, the engagement between the first engagingportion 132 and the fourthradial projection 99 is canceled as shown inFIGS. 3 and 10 , and the rear end portion of the second restrictingportion 95 does not abut against the innerperipheral wall 51 of theinner case 42. Therefore, the restriction on the swinging of theinner case 42 with respect to theouter case 41 is canceled. In this case, when theinner case 42 is swung with respect to theouter case 41, as shown inFIG. 5B , the first width-direction projections 145 and the second width-direction projections 150 are guided by the throughgrooves 127, the secondradial projections 57 are guided by theupper guide grooves 129, and the thirdradial projections 63 are guided by thelower guide grooves 130. During the swinging operation of theinner case 42 with respect to theouter case 41, as shownFIG. 3 , the firstradial projection 48 of theinner case 42 is in sliding contact with the inner side face of the outerperipheral wall 45 of theouter case 41, whereby the interface between theouter case 41 and theinner case 42 is maintained air-tightly and liquid-tightly. - When the swinging
portion 92 is in the third state, as shown inFIG. 5B , theinner case 42 can be moved to a toner closing position. At this time, the firsttoner discharging port 49 of theouter case 41 is closed by a portion of the innerperipheral wall 51 other than the secondtoner discharging port 55. That is, the firsttoner discharging port 49 is in the closed state, and the interiors of theouter case 41 and theinner case 42 are hermetically sealed. The secondradial projections 57 abut against the upper edges of theupper guide grooves 129, the thirdradial projections 63 abut against the upper edges of thelower guide grooves 130, and the second width-direction projections 150 abut against the front edges of the throughgrooves 127. The first width-direction projections 145 are separated from the rear edges of the throughgrooves 127. In contrast, theinner case 42 can be moved to a toner opening position shown inFIG. 5A where the firsttoner discharging port 49 is opened and opposed to the secondtoner discharging port 55 to the interiors of theouter case 41 and theinner case 42. The secondradial projections 57 abut against the lower edges of the respectiveupper guide grooves 129, the thirdradial projections 63 abut against the lower edges of thelower guide grooves 130, and the first width-direction projections 145 abut against the rear edges of the throughgrooves 127. The second width-direction projections 150 are separated from the front edges of the throughgrooves 127. As described above, the firsttoner discharging port 49 is opened and closed by the innerperipheral wall 51 of theinner case 42. - In the
inner case 42, as developer, nonmagnetic single-component toner having a positive chargeability is housed in theinner case 42. - (b-5) Attachment and Detachment of Toner Cartridge to and from Process Cartridge
- (b-5-i) Attachment of Toner Cartridge to Process Cartridge
- The
toner cartridge 40 in which theinner case 42 is at the toner closing position is attached along the attachment/detachment path X to the tonercartridge housing chamber 71 of the developingcase 62 of theprocess cartridge 20 in which, as shown inFIG. 11A , the opening/closing lever 113 is at the first position, and theshutter 111 is at the development closing position. At this time, thepositioning projections 131 of thetoner cartridge 40 are guided by theguide grooves 119 in the tonercartridge housing chamber 71 of theprocess cartridge 20. The swingingportion 92 of thetoner cartridge 40 is in the first state (seeFIG. 8 ), and the swinging of theinner case 42 with respect to theouter case 41 is restricted. - On the way of attachment of the
toner cartridge 40, as shown inFIG. 11B , the first width-direction projections 145 abut from the front side against the rear edges of the corresponding receivingportions 117 of the opening/closing lever 113, i.e., therear portions 151 of the corresponding light or left supportingportion toner cartridge 40 is further moved in the attaching direction, the first width-direction projections 145 forward push therear portions 151. In accordance therewith, thelever gripping portion 110 which is on the side opposite to therear portions 151 with respect to the rotation shaft of the opening/closing lever 113 is swung about the rotation shaft of the opening/closing lever 113 to be raised. That is, the opening/closing lever 113 which is at the first position is swung toward the third position. - When the
positioning projections 131 reach and abut against the innermost portions of theguide grooves 119, the attachment of thetoner cartridge 40 to the developingcase 62 is completed. At this time, as shown inFIG. 11C , the pushing of the first width-direction projections 145 against therear portions 151 is stopped. In accordance therewith, the swinging of the opening/closing lever 113 is also stopped. At this time, the opening/closing lever 113 is at the third position. The first width-direction projections 145 continue to abut from the front side against therear portions 151, and the second width-direction projections 150 abut from the front side against the front edges of the corresponding receivingportions 117 of the opening/closing lever 113, i.e., thefront portions 152. In accordance with the attachment of thetoner cartridge 40 to the developingcase 62, the first width-direction projections 145 push the opening/closing lever 113 to swing the opening/closing lever 113 from the first position to the third position, and the first width-direction projections 145 and the second width-direction projections 150 engage with the opening/closing lever 113 in the receivingportions 117. As shown inFIG. 9 , the secondradial projections 57 of thetoner cartridge 40 are engaged with the engagedportions 139 of theshutter 111 of the tonercartridge housing chamber 71, and theshutter 111 is clamped in the swinging direction between the secondradial projections 57 and the thirdradial projections 63. The secondengaging portion 133 is engaged with the engagedportion 124, whereby the swingingportion 92 is set to the third state (seeFIG. 10 ). - As a result, the operation of attaching the
toner cartridge 40 to the developingcase 62 is completed, and the position of thetoner cartridge 40 at this time is set as the attachment position. If thetoner cartridge 40 is at the attachment position, as shown inFIG. 9 , thegrip portion 118 of the opening/closing lever 113 which is at the third position is separated by a predetermined gap from the toner cartridge-side gripping portion 91 of thetoner cartridge 40. As shown inFIG. 7 , the abuttingprojection 141 of thelever gripping portion 110 are opposed to and slightly contacted with the front side faces of the corresponding abuttedmembers 142 of thetoner cartridge 40. - If the attachment of the
toner cartridge 40 to the developingcase 62 is completed, the swingingportion 92 is at the third state. Hence, theinner case 42 is swingable with respect to theouter case 41. Therefore, when the opening/closing lever 113 is swung from the third position to the second position (seeFIG. 2 andFIG. 11D ), theinner case 42 which is engaged with the opening/closing lever 113 by the first width-direction projections 145 and the second width-direction projections 150 is swung from the toner closing position (seeFIG. 10 ) to the toner opening position (seeFIG. 3 ) in conjunction with the swinging of the opening/closing lever 113. In the receivingportions 117, specifically, the second width-direction projections 150 are pushed by the opening/closing lever 113 along the direction of the swinging from the third position to the second position, whereby theinner case 42 is swung. - Therefore, as shown in
FIG. 3 , the firsttoner discharging port 49 is opened in accordance with the swinging of the opening/closing lever 113 to open-operate the innerperipheral wall 51, and the firsttoner discharging port 49 and the secondtoner discharging port 55 are opposed to each other to communicate with each other. In conjunction with the swinging of theinner case 42, i.e., in conjunction with the swinging of the first width-direction projections 145 and the second width-direction projections 150, also theshutter 111 which is clamped between the secondradial projections 57 of theinner case 42 and the thirdradial projections 63 is swung from the development closing position (seeFIG. 9 ) to the development opening position in accordance with the swinging of the opening/closing lever 113. As a result, the throughhole 112 of theshutter 111 is opposed to thetoner introduction port 88 of the tonercartridge housing chamber 71, and thetoner introduction port 88 is opened. In this way, the operation of opening thetoner introduction port 88 by theshutter 111 is performed through the operation in which the firsttoner discharging port 49 is opened by the innerperipheral wall 51 of theinner case 42. Specifically, when the innerperipheral wall 51 of theinner case 42 is swung, the opening/closing lever 113 swings theshutter 111, and then performs the opening operation on theshutter 111 and the innerperipheral wall 51. - In accordance with the swinging of the opening/
closing lever 113 from the third position to the second position, thelever gripping portion 110 is upward swung. Therefore, when the opening/closing lever 113 is at the second position, thegrip portion 118 is adjacent to the toner cartridge-side gripping portion 91. - If the opening/
closing lever 113 is at the second position, theshutter 111 is at the development opening position, and theinner case 42 is at the toner opening position. Therefore, the throughhole 112 andtoner introduction port 88 which are in the opposed state in the tonercartridge housing chamber 71 are opposed to and communicate with the firsttoner discharging port 49 and the secondtoner discharging port 55 which are in the opposed state in thetoner cartridge 40. Therefore, the interior of theinner case 42 of thetoner cartridge 40 communicates with that of the developingchamber 72 of the developingcase 62 through thetoner introduction port 88, the throughhole 112, and the firsttoner discharging port 49 and the secondtoner discharging port 55. - As described above, the interface between the
outer case 41 in which the firsttoner discharging port 49 is formed, and theinner case 42 in which the secondtoner discharging port 55 is formed is maintained air-tightly and liquid-tightly by the firstradial projection 48, and theseal member 125 is interposed between theshutter 111 in which the throughhole 112 is formed, and thecurved wall 122 in which thetoner introduction port 88 is formed. Therefore, the toner is prevented from leaking to the outside from thetoner introduction port 88, the throughhole 112, and the firsttoner discharging port 49 and the secondtoner discharging port 55. - When the
lever gripping portion 110 is swung in accordance with the swinging of the opening/closing lever 113 from the third position to the second position as described above, as shown inFIG. 2 , the abuttingprojection 141 of thelever gripping portion 110 is upward swung while passing over the front side face of the abuttedmembers 142. When the swinging of the opening/closing lever 113 to the second position is completed, the abuttingprojections 141 of thelever gripping portion 110 abut (referred to as “abut” in distinction from “contact” at the third position) against an upper end portion of the front side face of the abuttedmembers 142 from the front side (the downstream side in the direction along which thetoner cartridge 40 is detached from the developing case 62) with respect to the abuttedmembers 142 at a contact pressure which is higher than that exerted when the opening/closing lever 113 is at the third position (seeFIG. 7 ). Therefore, even when a force of moving thetoner cartridge 40 in the detaching direction (front side) is applied to thetoner cartridge 40, the forward relative forward movement of thetoner cartridge 40 with respect to the developingcase 62 can be restricted. Accordingly, the state of attaching thetoner cartridge 40 to the developingcase 62 can be surely maintained. - (b-5-ii) Detachment of Toner Cartridge from Process Cartridge
- If the
shutter 111 is at the development opening position and theinner case 42 is at the toner opening position, the opening/closing lever 113 which is at the second position is swung to the third position as shown inFIG. 10 . Therefore, as shown inFIGS. 11C and 11D , in the receivingportions 117, the first width-direction projections 145 are pushed by the opening/closing lever 113 along the direction of the swinging from the second position to the third position, whereby theinner case 42 is swung. In conjunction of the swinging of the opening/closing lever 113, as shown inFIG. 10 , theinner case 42 is swung from the toner opening position to the toner closing position. In accordance with the swinging of the opening/closing lever 113, the innerperipheral wall 51 is close-operated, and the firsttoner discharging port 49 of the outerperipheral wall 45 of theouter case 41 is closed by a portion of the innerperipheral wall 51 of theinner case 42 other than the secondtoner discharging port 55. Therefore, the communication between the firsttoner discharging port 49 and the secondtoner discharging port 55 is blocked, and the interiors of theouter case 41 and theinner case 42 are hermetically sealed. In conjunction with the swinging of theinner case 42, i.e., the swinging of the first width-direction projections 145 and the second width-direction projections 150, also the secondradial projection 57 and the thirdradial projection 63 are swung. Therefore, theshutter 111 which is clamped between the secondradial projection 57 and the thirdradial projection 63 is swung from the development opening position to the development closing position. As a result, thetoner introduction port 88 of the tonercartridge housing chamber 71 is closed by a portion of theshutter 111 other than the throughhole 112. In this way, if the opening/closing lever 113 is at the third position, the firsttoner discharging port 49 and thetoner introduction port 88 are closed, and the communication between the firsttoner discharging port 49 and thetoner introduction port 88 is blocked. The operation of closing thetoner introduction port 88 by theshutter 111 is performed through the operation in which the firsttoner discharging port 49 is closed by the innerperipheral wall 51 of theinner case 42. When the opening/closing lever 113 is swung from the second position to the third position, the opening/closing lever 113 causes theshutter 111 and the innerperipheral wall 51 to perform the closing operation. - In accordance with the swinging of the opening/
closing lever 113 to the third position, thelever gripping portion 110 is downward swung. Therefore, as shown inFIG. 7 , the abuttingprojections 141 of thelever gripping portion 110 are downward swung while overriding the front faces of the abuttedmembers 142. When the swinging of the opening/closing lever 113 to the third position is completed, the abuttingprojections 141 are opposed to and slightly contacted with the front faces of the abuttedmembers 142. That is, when the opening/closing lever 113 is at the third position, the abutting state of the abuttingprojections 141 against the abuttedmembers 142 is canceled. - If the opening/
closing lever 113 is swung to the third position, as shown inFIG. 10 , the first restrictingportion 94 is in the third state, and the secondengaging portion 133 is engaged with the engagedportion 124. Therefore, as shown inFIG. 9 , the swingingportion 92 is swung to the second state to cancel the engagement between the secondengaging portion 133 and the engagedportion 124. While maintaining the swingingportion 92 to be in the second state (while maintaining the swingingportion 92 to be gripped), thetoner cartridge 40 is pulled out from the tonercartridge housing chamber 71 in the forward and obliquely upward direction. At this time, the positioning projections 131 (seeFIG. 6 ) of thetoner cartridge 40 are guided by the guide grooves 119 (seeFIG. 6 ) in the tonercartridge housing chamber 71. When the hand is released from the pulled-outtoner cartridge 40, the swingingportion 92 is set to the first state (seeFIG. 8 ). - When, as shown in
FIG. 8 , thepositioning projections 131 are disengaged from theguide grooves 119, the engagements (seeFIG. 7 ) between the first width-direction projections 145 and the second width-direction projections 150 and the receivingportions 117 are cancelled, and the engagements between the secondradial projections 57 and the engagedportions 139 are cancelled, the operation of detaching thetoner cartridge 40 from the developingcase 62 of theprocess cartridge 20 is completed. - When, as shown in
FIG. 11C , the opening/closing lever 113 which is at the third position is further swung to the first position shown inFIG. 11B , therear portions 151 of the opening/closing lever 113 are swung about the rotation shaft of the opening/closing lever 113, or specifically, moved to the front side. Therefore, the first width-direction projections 145 engaged with the receivingportions 117 are pushed from the rear side toward the front side by the correspondingrear portions 151. The forward pushing force is applied to thewhole toner cartridge 40 through the first width-direction projections 145 to forward move thetoner cartridge 40. Specifically, the pushing force causes the above-mentioned engagement (seeFIG. 10 ) between the secondengaging portion 133 and the engagedportion 124 to be compulsively canceled, and thetoner cartridge 40 to be moved from the attachment position (seeFIG. 11C ) in the detaching direction (front side) (FIG. 11B ). In other words, when the opening/closing lever 113 which is at the third position is swung to the first position, the first width-direction projections 145 cause thetoner cartridge 40 to be moved from the attachment position in the detaching direction. Then, the hand is shifted from the opening/closing lever 113 to theguide lever 44, and thetoner cartridge 40 is pulled out in the forward and obliquely upward direction. As described above, when thepositioning projections 131 are disengaged from theguide grooves 119, the engagements (seeFIG. 7 ) between the first width-direction projections 145 and the second width-direction projections 150 and the receivingportions 117 are cancelled, and the engagements between the secondradial projections 57 and the engagedportions 139 are cancelled, the operation of detaching thetoner cartridge 40 from the developingcase 62 of theprocess cartridge 20 is completed. - (b-6) Developing and Transferring Operations
- As described in (b-5-i) above and as shown in
FIG. 3 , thetoner cartridge 40 is attached to the developingcase 62 of theprocess cartridge 20 to be housed in the tonercartridge housing chamber 71. When an image forming process is to be thereafter performed by thelaser printer 1, a driving force from a motor (not shown) is applied to theagitator rotation shaft 53. Then, theagitator rotation shaft 53 is rotated in a clockwise direction in a left side view, and theagitator 56 is circumferentially moved in theinner case 42 of thetoner cartridge 40, about theagitator rotation shaft 53. As a result, the toner in thetoner cartridge 40 is stirred by theagitator 56, and supplied to the firsttoner discharging port 49 through the secondtoner discharging port 55. Thereafter, the toner is supplied to the developingcase 62 through the firsttoner discharging port 49, and received by the throughhole 112, and thetoner introduction port 88 to be discharged into the developingchamber 72. - The toner which is discharged into the developing
chamber 72 through thetoner introduction port 88 is supplied to the developingroller 104 by the rotation of the supplyingroller 101. At this time, the toner is frictionally charged to the positive polarity between the supplyingroller 101 and the developingroller 104. In accordance with the rotation of the developingroller 104, the toner which is supplied onto the developingroller 104 enters between thepressing portion 148 of the layer-thickness restricting blade 107 and the developingroller 104, and carried as a thin layer of a constant thickness on the developingroller 104. - In accordance with the rotation of the
photosensitive drum 28, the surface of thephotosensitive drum 28 is first uniformly charged to the positive polarity by thescorotron charging device 29, and then exposed by high speed scanning of the laser beam from thescanner portion 19, so that an electrostatic latent image corresponding to an image to be formed on thesheet 3 is formed. - Next, the rotation of the developing
roller 104 causes the toner which is carried on the developingroller 104, and which is charged to the positive polarity, to be opposed and contacted to thephotosensitive drum 28. At this time, the toner is supplied to the electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of thephotosensitive drum 28. Therefore, the electrostatic latent image on thephotosensitive drum 28 is converted to a visible image, so that a toner image formed by reversal development is carried on the surface of thephotosensitive drum 28. - During a period when the
sheet 3 conveyed by the registering roller 15 (seeFIG. 1 ) is passed through the transferring position between thephotosensitive drum 28 and thetransfer roller 31, the toner image carried on the surface of thephotosensitive drum 28 is then transferred to thesheet 3 by a transfer bias applied to thetransfer roller 31. Thesheet 3, onto which the toner is transferred, is conveyed to the fixingportion 21. - (c) Fixing Portion
- As shown in
FIG. 1 , the fixingportion 21 is disposed behind theprocess cartridge 20. The fixingportion 21 is placed while forming a gap in the forward and rearward direction between the portion and thephotosensitive drum 28 of theprocess cartridge 20. The fixingportion 21 includes aheating roller 60 and a pressurizingroller 61. - In the fixing
portion 21, the toner image transferred onto thesheet 3 at the transferring position is thermally fixed during a period when thesheet 3 is passed through between theheating roller 60 and the pressurizingroller 61. Thesheet 3 onto which the toner image is fixed is conveyed to a discharge-side conveying path to be conveyed by a conveyingroller 155 toward a dischargingroller 47, and then discharged by the dischargingroller 47 onto adischarge tray 58. Thedischarge tray 58 is formed on the upper face of thebody casing 2. - In the
process cartridge 20, the opening/closing lever 113 is disposed on the developingcase 62 of theprocess cartridge 20. Therefore, when thetoner cartridge 40 is not attached to the developingcase 62 of theprocess cartridge 20 as shown inFIG. 8 , the opening/closing operations of the innerperipheral wall 51 disposed on thetoner cartridge 40 are restricted. Accordingly, the firsttoner discharging port 49 can be prevented from being accidentally opened or closed. - Further, in the
process cartridge 20, the opening/closing lever 113 which is swingably disposed on the developingcase 62 abuts against thetoner cartridge 40 from the downstream side (front side) in the direction along which thetoner cartridge 40 is detached from the developingcase 62 as shown inFIG. 3 . Therefore, even when a force of moving thetoner cartridge 40 in the detaching direction (front side) is applied to thetoner cartridge 40, the relative forward movement of thetoner cartridge 40 with respect to the developingcase 62 can be restricted. Accordingly, the state of attaching thetoner cartridge 40 to the developingcase 62 can be surely maintained. - When the
toner cartridge 40 is attached to the developingcase 62 as shown inFIG. 3 , the opening/closing lever 113 can open and close the innerperipheral wall 51 and theshutter 111. Therefore, if thetoner cartridge 40 is attached to the developingcase 62, the opening/closing lever 113 is swung to open the innerperipheral wall 51 and theshutter 111, the firsttoner discharging port 49 and thetoner introduction port 88 are opened to communicate with each other so that the toner can be supplied from thetoner cartridge 40 to the developingcase 62. If thetoner cartridge 40 is attached to the developingcase 62 as shown inFIG. 10 , the opening/closing lever 113 is swung to close the firsttoner discharging port 49 and thetoner introduction port 88. Further, the firsttoner discharging port 49 and thetoner introduction port 88 are closed to block communication between the firsttoner discharging port 49 and thetoner introduction port 88. Therefore, thetoner cartridge 40 can be detached from the developingcase 62 without causing the toner to leak from the firsttoner discharging port 49 and thetoner introduction port 88. Accordingly, the toner can be prevented from leaking from thetoner cartridge 40 and theprocess cartridge 20 by the simple configuration and the easy operation. - The opening/
closing lever 113 is swingable among the first position, the second position, and the third position which is between the first width-direction projections 145 and the second width-direction projections 150. When the opening/closing lever 113 is at the first position, the state where thetoner cartridge 40 is detached from the developingcase 62 and thetoner introduction port 88 is closed is attained as shown inFIG. 8 . When the opening/closing lever 113 is at the second position, thetoner cartridge 40 is attached to the developingcase 62 as shown inFIG. 3 , and the firsttoner discharging port 49 and thetoner introduction port 88 are opened to communicate with each other. When the opening/closing lever 113 is at the third position, thetoner cartridge 40 is attached to the developingcase 62 as shown inFIG. 10 , and the firsttoner discharging port 49 and thetoner introduction port 88 are closed to block communication between the firsttoner discharging port 49 and thetoner introduction port 88. In accordance with the attachment of thetoner cartridge 40 to the developingcase 62, the opening/closing lever 113 is swung from the first position to the third position as shown inFIGS. 11B and 11C . At this time, the opening/closing lever 113 is swung from the first position to the third position while maintaining the state where the communication between the firsttoner discharging port 49 and the toner introduction port 88 (seeFIG. 10 ). Accordingly, the first position can be set to a position which, in the attaching and detaching operations, is separated from the hand gripping thetoner cartridge 40, and the third position can be set to a position which is close to the gripping hand. Therefore, the degree of freedom in design can be enhanced. In this case, the opening/closing lever 113 at the third position approaches the gripping hand, and the operation is facilitated. - As a result, the degree of freedom in design can be enhanced, and the toner can be prevented from leaking by the simple configuration and the easy operation.
- As shown in
FIGS. 11A to 11D , thetoner cartridge 40 includes the first width-direction projections 145. In accordance with attachment of thetoner cartridge 40 to the developingcase 62, the first width-direction projections 145 push the opening/closing lever 113 to swing the opening/closing member from the first position to the third position as shown inFIGS. 11B and 11C . Therefore, by simply providing the first width-direction projections 145 to thetoner cartridge 40, the opening/closing lever 113 can swing from the first position to the third position in accordance with attachment of thetoner cartridge 40 to the developingcase 62. - Moreover, before the opening/
closing lever 113 is pushed by the first width-direction projections 145, the opening/closing lever is placed at the first position as shown inFIGS. 11A and 11B . Hence, the attachment/detachment path X for thetoner cartridge 40 is ensured. Therefore, smooth attachment and detachment of thetoner cartridge 40 with respect to the developingcase 62 can be ensured. - As shown in
FIG. 11B , the opening/closing lever 113 which is at the first position is deviated from the attachment/detachment path X. Hence, the opening/closing lever 113 is located at a position which is remote from a gripping hand for gripping thetoner cartridge 40 in the attaching/detaching operations, and in which the lever is difficult to operate. However, in accordance with attachment of thetoner cartridge 40 to the developingcase 62, the first width-direction projections 145 swing the opening/closing lever 113 from the first position to the third position where the lever interferes with the attachment/detachment path X as shown inFIG. 11C . Hence, the opening/closing lever 113 at the third position approaches the gripping hand, and is easy to operate. Therefore, the easy operation can cause the opening/closing lever 113 to abut against thetoner cartridge 40 to surely maintain the state where thetoner cartridge 40 is attached to the developingcase 62. Moreover, the opening/closing lever 113 is pushed by the first width-direction projections 145 to be placed at the third position. Hence, the attachment/detachment path X for thetoner cartridge 40 is blocked. Also because of this reason, the relative forward movement of thetoner cartridge 40 attached to the developingcase 62 can be restricted. - As a result, while ensuring smooth attachment and detachment of the
toner cartridge 40 with respect to the developingcase 62, the state of attaching thetoner cartridge 40 to the developingcase 62 can be surely maintained by the easy operation. - The opening/
closing lever 113 can be swung from the third position shown inFIG. 11C to the second position where the lever abuts against thetoner cartridge 40 attached to the developingcase 62 as shown inFIG. 11D . Therefore, when the opening/closing lever 113 is at the second position, the state where thetoner cartridge 40 is attached to the developingcase 62 can be surely maintained by the simple operation in which the opening/closing lever 113 is simply swung. - As shown in
FIG. 5 , as an example of the tone case, thetoner cartridge 40 includes theouter case 41 in which the firsttoner discharging port 49 is formed, and theinner case 42 which is housed swingably with respect to theouter case 41, which includes the innerperipheral wall 51, in which the secondtoner discharging port 55 for supplying the toner to the firsttoner discharging port 49 is formed, and which houses the toner. Accordingly, thetoner cartridge 40 can have a double structure which includes theouter case 41 and theinner case 42. - The
inner case 42 includes the second width-direction projections 150. In accordance with swinging of the opening/closing lever 113 from the third position to the second position, the second width-direction projections 150 is pushed by the opening/closing lever 113 as shown inFIGS. 11C and 11D . Accordingly, the second width-direction projections 150 swing theinner case 42 as shown inFIG. 3 to cause the innerperipheral wall 51 to perform an operation of opening the innerperipheral wall 51, thereby communicating the firsttoner discharging port 49 with the secondtoner discharging port 55. Therefore, by simply providing the second width-direction projections 150 to theinner case 42, the toner housed in theinner case 42 of thetoner cartridge 40 can be supplied to the developingcase 62 when the opening/closing lever 113 is swung from the third position to the second position. - That is, when the opening/
closing lever 113 is swung from the third position to the second position, the supply of the toner housed in theinner case 42 of thetoner cartridge 40 is enabled in addition to the maintenance of the state where thetoner cartridge 40 is attached to the developingcase 62. As a result, operability can be improved. - In contrast, when the opening/
closing lever 113 is swung from the third and second positions shown inFIGS. 11C and 11D to the first position shown inFIG. 11B , the first width-direction projections 145 are pushed by the opening/closing lever 113, whereby thetoner cartridge 40 is moved from the attachment position with respect to the developingcase 62 in the detaching direction. When the opening/closing lever 113 is placed at the third and second positions shown inFIGS. 11C and 11D , the attachment/detachment path X for thetoner cartridge 40 is blocked. Thus, the relative movement in the detaching direction of thetoner cartridge 40 attached to the developingcase 62 can also be restricted. When the opening/closing lever 113 is swung to the first position shown inFIG. 11B , the attachment/detachment path X for thetoner cartridge 40 is ensured. Therefore, smooth attachment and detachment of thetoner cartridge 40 with respect to the developingcase 62 can be ensured. - When the opening/
closing lever 113 is at the second position, thegrip portion 118 of the opening/closing lever 113 is adjacent to the toner cartridge-side gripping portion 91 of thetoner cartridge 40. Hence, thegrip portion 118 and the toner cartridge-side gripping portion 91 can be gripped together. Therefore, the relative position between the developingcase 62 in which the opening/closing lever 113 is disposed, and thetoner cartridge 40 is stabilized. Accordingly, theprocess cartridge 20 can be moved in a stable state. - On the other hand, when the opening/
closing lever 113 is swung from the third position to the first position, thetoner cartridge 40 is moved from the position where the toner cartridge is attached to the developingcase 62, in the detaching direction as shown inFIGS. 11B and 11C . Accordingly, thetoner cartridge 40 can be detached from the developingcase 62 while maintaining the state where the communication between the firsttoner discharging port 49 and the toner introduction port 88 (seeFIG. 10 ) is blocked, by the simple operation of swinging the opening/closing lever 113 from the third position to the first position. Furthermore, the first position can be set to a position where the operations of attaching and detaching thetoner cartridge 40 are not obstructed. Therefore, the degree of freedom in design can be enhanced. - As a result, the degree of freedom in design can be enhanced, and the toner can be prevented from leaking by the simple configuration and the easy operation.
- Furthermore, while ensuring smooth attachment and detachment of the
toner cartridge 40 with respect to the developingcase 62, the state of attaching thetoner cartridge 40 to the developingcase 62 can be surely maintained by the easy operation. - When the opening/
closing lever 113 is swung from the third position to the first position, the first width-direction projections 145 are pushed by the opening/closing lever 113, whereby thetoner cartridge 40 is moved from the position where the toner cartridge is attached to the developing case, in the detaching direction. Therefore, by simply providing the first width-direction projections 145 to thetoner cartridge 40, thetoner cartridge 40 can be moved from the position where the toner cartridge is attached to the developingcase 62 in the detaching direction when the opening/closing lever 113 is swung from the third position to the first position. - Further, when the opening/
closing lever 113 is at the second position, the state where thetoner cartridge 40 is attached to the developingcase 62 can be surely maintained by the simple operation in which the opening/closing lever 113 is simply swung. On the other hand, when the opening/closing lever 113 is at the third position, the maintenance of the attachment state is canceled, and thetoner cartridge 40 can be attached to or detached from the developingcase 62. - The first width-
direction projections 145 are disposed on theinner case 42. In accordance with swinging of the opening/closing lever 113 from the second position to the third position, is pushed by the opening/closing lever 113 as shown inFIGS. 11C and 11D . Accordingly, the first width-direction projections 145 swing theinner case 42, whereby the innerperipheral wall 51 is close-operated to close the firsttoner discharging port 49 and block communication between firsttoner discharging port 49 and the secondtoner discharging port 55. Therefore, by simply providing the first width-direction projections 145 to theinner case 42, the supply of the toner housed in theinner case 42 of thetoner cartridge 40 to the developingcase 62 can be restricted when the opening/closing lever 113 is moved from the second position to the third position. - When the opening/
closing lever 113 is swung from the second position to the third position, furthermore, the supply of the toner housed in theinner case 42 of thetoner cartridge 40 to the developingcase 62 can be restricted in addition to cancellation of the maintenance of the state where thetoner cartridge 40 is attached to the developingcase 62. As a result, operability can be improved. - The opening/
closing lever 113 is swingably supported by the right and leftside walls case 62 in the longitudinal direction (width direction) of the developingroller 104. Therefore, the lever can be stably swung. - When the
toner cartridge 40 is attached to and detached from the developingcase 62 in the width direction, thetoner cartridge 40 easily interferes with the opening/closing lever 113 supported by the right and leftside walls toner cartridge 40 with respect to the developingcase 62. However, as described above, thetoner cartridge 40 is attached to and detached from the developingcase 62 in the direction perpendicular to the width direction. Therefore, if the opening/closing lever 113 is supported by the right and leftside walls toner cartridge 40 does not interfere with the opening/closing lever 113, and smooth attachment and detachment of thetoner cartridge 40 with respect to the developingcase 62 can be ensured. - When the
toner cartridge 40 is detached from the developingcase 62, even when the opening/closing lever 113 is operated as shown inFIG. 8 , the developingcase 62 can be maintained to the state where theshutter 111 closes thetoner introduction port 88. Further, thetoner cartridge 40 can be maintained to the state where the innerperipheral wall 51 closes the firsttoner discharging port 49. - As described above, the
toner cartridge 40 is attachable to and detachable from the developingcase 62 in the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction (width direction) of the developingroller 104. Therefore, the firsttoner discharging port 49 and thetoner introduction port 88 can be disposed so as to be opposed to the developingroller 104 as shown inFIG. 3 in the state where thetoner cartridge 40 is attached to the developingcase 62. Therefore, the placement positions and sizes of the first opening and the second opening can be freely set. That is, the toner can be surely supplied from thetoner cartridge 40 to the developingcase 62. - Further, the inner
peripheral wall 51 is swingably supported by the both side walls (the outer side end walls 46) of thetoner cartridge 40. Thus, the firsttoner discharging port 49 can be stably opened and closed. When a portion of supporting the innerperipheral wall 51 is configured by the outerside end walls 46, an extra mechanism is not placed in the firsttoner discharging port 49. Thus, if thetoner cartridge 40 is attached to the developingcase 62, thetoner cartridge 40 and the developingcase 62 can therefore be in close contact with each other. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the toner from leaking between thetoner cartridge 40 and the developingcase 62. - Since the
shutter 111 is swingably supported by the both side walls (the right and leftside walls 69, 70) of the developingcase 62, thetoner introduction port 88 can be stably opened and closed. When a portion of supporting theshutter 111 is configured by the both side walls of the developingcase 62, an extra mechanism is not placed in thetoner introduction port 88. Thus, if thetoner cartridge 40 is attached to the developingcase 62, thetoner cartridge 40 and the developingcase 62 can therefore be in close contact with each other. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the toner from leaking between thetoner cartridge 40 and the developingcase 62. - When the portion of supporting the
shutter 111 is configured by the both side walls of the developingcase 62, a space is formed in a portion of the developingcase 62 which is in the middle between the both side walls. During the operations of attaching and detaching thetoner cartridge 40 to and from the developingcase 62, an access of thetoner cartridge 40 into the developingcase 62 can be easily performed. - When the inner
peripheral wall 51 is not swung, theshutter 111 cannot be swung. Therefore, thetoner introduction port 88 can be surely maintained in the closed state, and the toner can be prevented from leaking from the developingcase 62. - When the
toner cartridge 40 is not attached to the developingcase 62 of theprocess cartridge 20, the first width-direction projections 145 and the second width-direction projections 150 of thetoner cartridge 40 are not engaged with the opening/closing lever 113 disposed on the developingcase 62 as shown inFIG. 11A . Therefore, the swinging of the innerperipheral wall 51 provided to thetoner cartridge 40 is restricted, and it is possible to prevent the firsttoner discharging port 49 from being accidentally opened. - When the
toner cartridge 40 is attached to the developingcase 62, the first width-direction projections 145 and the second width-direction projections 150 are engaged with the opening/closing lever 113 as shown inFIGS. 11C and 11D . Therefore, in accordance with the operation of the opening/closing lever 113, the swinging of the innerperipheral wall 51 by the first width-direction projections 145 and the second width-direction projections 150, i.e., the opening/closing of the firsttoner discharging port 49, and the swinging of theshutter 111 by the secondradial projection 57 and the thirdradial projection 63 interlocked with the first width-direction projections 145 and the second width-direction projections 150, i.e., the opening/closing of thetoner introduction port 88 are enabled as shown inFIGS. 3 and 10 . - Therefore, as shown in
FIG. 3 , if the firsttoner discharging port 49 and thetoner introduction port 88 are opened in the state where thetoner cartridge 40 is attached to the developingcase 62, the firsttoner discharging port 49 and thetoner introduction port 88 communicate with each other so that the toner can be supplied from thetoner cartridge 40 to the developingcase 62. - When, as shown in
FIG. 10 , the firsttoner discharging port 49 and thetoner introduction port 88 are closed in the state where thetoner cartridge 40 is attached to the developingcase 62, thetoner cartridge 40 can be detached from the developingcase 62 without causing the toner to leak from the firsttoner discharging port 49 and thetoner introduction port 88 as shown inFIG. 8 . - In a state where the
toner cartridge 40 is detached from the developingcase 62, even when the opening/closing lever 113 is operated, theshutter 111 is not swung. Thus, the developingcase 62 can be maintained to the state where thetoner introduction port 88 is closed. As described above, in thetoner cartridge 40, the innerperipheral wall 51 is not swung. Thus, the toner cartridge is maintained to the state where the firsttoner discharging port 49 is closed. - As a result, the toner can be prevented from leaking from the
toner cartridge 40 and theprocess cartridge 20, by the simple configuration. - The above-described operations of opening and closing the first
toner discharging port 49 and thetoner introduction port 88 can be performed by the simple configuration in which the first width-direction projections 145, the second width-direction projections 150, the secondradial projection 57 and the thirdradial projection 63 are disposed on thetoner cartridge 40 as shown inFIG. 5 . - When, as shown in
FIG. 8 , thetoner cartridge 40 is detached from the developingcase 62, the swinging of theshutter 111 is restricted. Therefore, the state where thetoner introduction port 88 is closed can be surely maintained, and the toner can be prevented from leaking from the developingcase 62. - In the above-described aspects, the
process cartridge 20 integrally includes thephotosensitive drum 28 and the developingroller 104, and theprocess cartridge 20 is detachably attached to thebody casing 2. For example, the developing device may not include thephotosensitive drum 28, another unit having thephotosensitive drum 28 may be disposed, and the developing device may be detachably attached to the unit. The first width-direction projections 145 and the second width-direction projections 150 may be formed as an integral member.
Claims (19)
Applications Claiming Priority (4)
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JP2007-019868 | 2007-01-30 | ||
JP2007-019866 | 2007-01-30 | ||
JP2007019866A JP4872689B2 (en) | 2007-01-30 | 2007-01-30 | Development device |
JP2007019868A JP4893341B2 (en) | 2007-01-30 | 2007-01-30 | Development device |
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US20080181660A1 true US20080181660A1 (en) | 2008-07-31 |
US7742725B2 US7742725B2 (en) | 2010-06-22 |
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US12/022,205 Active 2029-01-10 US7742725B2 (en) | 2007-01-30 | 2008-01-30 | Developing device |
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Cited By (2)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US20110243613A1 (en) * | 2010-03-30 | 2011-10-06 | Yasunori Kawamura | Image forming apparatus |
US11429061B2 (en) * | 2019-07-02 | 2022-08-30 | Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha | Image forming apparatus |
Families Citing this family (1)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
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JP4872749B2 (en) * | 2007-03-28 | 2012-02-08 | ブラザー工業株式会社 | Developer container |
Citations (3)
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US5266998A (en) * | 1991-04-17 | 1993-11-30 | Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. | Electrophotography processor having detachable electrophotographic components |
US5608501A (en) * | 1994-02-16 | 1997-03-04 | Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha | Development unit and toner cartridge for use in an image formation apparatus |
US20080013988A1 (en) * | 2003-11-19 | 2008-01-17 | Canon Kabushiki Kaisha | Developer supply container |
-
2008
- 2008-01-30 US US12/022,205 patent/US7742725B2/en active Active
Patent Citations (3)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
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US5266998A (en) * | 1991-04-17 | 1993-11-30 | Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. | Electrophotography processor having detachable electrophotographic components |
US5608501A (en) * | 1994-02-16 | 1997-03-04 | Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha | Development unit and toner cartridge for use in an image formation apparatus |
US20080013988A1 (en) * | 2003-11-19 | 2008-01-17 | Canon Kabushiki Kaisha | Developer supply container |
Cited By (5)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US20110243613A1 (en) * | 2010-03-30 | 2011-10-06 | Yasunori Kawamura | Image forming apparatus |
US8725037B2 (en) * | 2010-03-30 | 2014-05-13 | Kyocera Document Solutions Inc. | Image forming apparatus |
US11429061B2 (en) * | 2019-07-02 | 2022-08-30 | Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha | Image forming apparatus |
US11656574B2 (en) | 2019-07-02 | 2023-05-23 | Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha | Image forming apparatus |
US12078955B2 (en) | 2019-07-02 | 2024-09-03 | Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha | Image forming apparatus |
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